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About Mary Lee Foundation

We offer a full range of progressive neurological, orthopedic and special needs services.

Our mission

To serve adults with diverse needs so that they may develop a sense of dignity, a sense of self-worth, and the skills necessary to socially integrate with and contribute to the community in which they live.

Our history

Mary Lee School opened its doors in 1963 in a modest
2-bedroom home in South Austin. The rest is history.

1960s

1970s

1980’s

1990’s

2000 – Present

1963

Charlene Crump opened Mary Lee School in February 1963.

A pioneering force of the larger national conversation, Charlene Crump set out to establish the first residential facility in Texas for girls with IDD. The Mary Lee Foundation began in 1963 as Mary Lee School of Special Education (Mary is Crump’s first name, and Lee is her, now ex-, husband’s middle name), a low-budget residential program in a rented two-bedroom home in south Austin. Founder Crump and assistant Leona Winston provided around-the-clock care and education to four girls, equipping them with the skills to care for themselves and earn a living. Though employers were initially hesitant to take them on board, all four girls eventually found jobs and gained a level of independence that would have been nearly unattainable before their training at Mary Lee School. Within three months, Crump opened a second unit next door to the original schoolhouse, boosting enrollment to thirteen students.

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1966

By 1966, Mary Lee School had an enrollment of 31 students in three buildings.

1969

In 1969, the Texas Rehabilitation Commission approved Mary Lee for a study to determine if women could be de-institutionalized and become socially and vocationally independent.

From the start her philosophy had been that the way to be accepted and acceptable is to hold a job. After three years, the commission found 90% of the clients in the study met most, if not all of the criteria for social and vocational independence. Also in 1969, Mary Lee received funding through a federal research grant to determine if individuals with IDD and mental illness could benefit from rehabilitation programs. To implement these and other new programs, Charlene hired Don Lilljedahl, MSW and ordained minister as the program director. Lilljedahl continued in his position until December 2016, when he retired after forty-seven years of dedicated service.

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1973

Mary Lee School celebrates its ten year anniversary in February 1973.

1974

In 1974, Mary Lee School purchased apartment buildings on Lamar Square Drive in order to provide sheltered living facilities for adults with disabilities.

The Southpointe facilities, licensed Intermediate Care Facilities and transitional living programs, found their homes in those apartments and other acquired properties on the square. As other licensed programs for adults and children with disabilities became available in Texas, no other adult program facilitated the level of independent living that Crump knew was possible. At Mary Lee’s SouthPointe program, each client lives on their own or with a roommate and are taught to take care of their apartment, cook their own meals, and—in most cases—keep a job.

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1976

The school changed its name to Mary Lee Foundation in 1976 to encompass its widening range of facilities and services.

1981

When the Austin Zilker Neighborhood Association organized in 1981, Mary Lee Foundation employees began attending their meetings.

The foundation continues to maintain great relationships with the neighborhood association, other local property owners, and local business owners.

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1984

Southpointe was established, first as a co-op program for adults with disabilities. The original co-op apartment buildings are now used for our transitional living program.

In September 1984, Mary Lee Foundation was awarded a federal block grant to start a new employment program for people with disabilities.

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1985

In 1985, Mary Lee Foundation received a grant from the Lola Wright Foundation to purchase new recreation equipment for all its children’s facilities.

1988

In 1988, Mary Lee Foundation finished its community center, which now holds the Daybreak Activity Center program for adults with special needs.

1994

In 1994, Mary Lee Foundation opened its Rehabilitation Center for adult survivors of brain injuries and other neurological disorders.

1997

In 1997, Mary Lee Foundation opened Daybreak Activity Center, its day habilitation center for adults with special needs.

1995

Catch our news-spot on KXAN, Aug 1995

2001

Charlene Crump, MLF founder and director, was awarded The Governor’s Trophy, the Governor committee’s highest honor, in 2001.

2004

Mary Lee Foundation Rehabilitation Center (MLFRC) was awarded the Lex Frieden Employment Award in 2004.

2005

Chip Howe, MLFRC admissions coordinator, received the Brain Injury Association of Texas‘s Humanitarian Award in 2005.

2006

Chip Howe received the Brain Injury Association of America‘s National Leadership Award in 2006.

Chip Howe received the City of Austin’s Distinguished Service Award in 2006.

2011

In 2011, The Willows apartment building was erected, adding more than fifty affordable apartments to the square.

2013

The Legacy apartment building was constructed and unveiled in 2013. This building received a four-star energy rating and added more than forty affordable apartments to the square.

2021

After 59 years leading the organization, founder Charlene Crump retires. Russ Walker is named new Executive Director.

Meet the Board of Directors

Mike Peays

Chairman

Mike is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines. He spent 30 years working as an engineer in the oil and gas industry. He has been married to his wife Margie for 50 years and has 3 adult children and 10 grandchildren. Mike is the guardian of his sister who lives here at the Mary Lee Foundation. He serves on the Board from a keen sense of gratitude and appreciation for the mission and the legacy of the Mary Lee Foundation. Mike is privileged to serve on the Board.

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Judy Kegg

Vice-Chairman

Judy Kegg has been a volunteering in the Austin area for many years in the mental health field and has advocated for family members both past and present living at Mary Lee Foundation. Her passion for helping others comes through personally and professionally through her 25 year massage and aquatic therapy practice. Judy is happy to have the opportunity to serve on the board and looks forward to helping guide our growing community.

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Leigh Dunson

Secretary

Leigh is a native Texan and has lived in the Austin area her whole life. She has a Psychology degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown. She has a furry son, Georgie (a pug) and owns a pet sitting business so it feels like she has hundreds of pets! Previously, she worked at Mary Lee Foundation for almost 20 years. She started working at Mary Lee fresh out of college working direct support, then did case management for 5 years. She worked for the state as an IDD program surveyor for a bit and came back to Mary Lee and directed the IDD section for 14 years. She also loves traveling, music, gardening, biking and hiking. She is excited about being able to stay connected with the amazing people at Mary Lee again by serving on the board.

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Don Jones

Member

Don is a retired computer industry program manager. He specialized in service readiness/delivery life-cycle process development and implementation. Don is also a U.S. Navy Vietnam era veteran. He has lived at the Mary Lee Foundation for 6 years and is a very active volunteer on the square.

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Susan Johnson

Member

Susan is a professional artist. After raising three children, she taught high school art for 23 years before retiring. She and Wayne Johnson, her husband of 45 years, moved their daughter Abby into a group home at the Mary Lee Foundation in 2009. She and Wayne have been passionate volunteers and advocates for Mary Lee for many years.

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Van Myers

Member

Van has been a small business owner for the past 33 years. His involvement in every facet of his company, from stocking the warehouse to managing his salesforce, has provided him with an acumen for running a successful business. He and Jennifer, his wife of 31 years, have two adult sons, a daughter-in-law and a new granddaughter. They moved to Austin in 2015 from Birmingham, Alabama. Van has always had a heart for serving others and is thankful to be able to serve the community at Mary Lee Foundation.

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David Weatherbie

Member

David has been a proud member of the Austin community for 20 years. Earning a B.S. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, he has been in the commercial construction industry his whole career, living and working in New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. He has two daughters with his wife, Susan, and proudly saw them both graduate from his alma mater. Now an empty nester, David hopes to share his love for Austin and drive to give back to make a difference in his community.

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Leadership

Fran Rodda

Director of Finance

(512) 443-5777

Fran is a graduate of Florida International University with a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies. She began working with the Mary Lee Foundation in 2007 as a Bookkeeper at the Southpointe program and the Central Office. Since then, she has been involved with the many aspects of the accounting department, compliance with State and Federal regulations and reporting, appropriation of donations and oversight of grant expenditures.

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Velma Hernandez-Mercer

Director of Human Resources

(512) 443-5777

Velma started working for the Mary Lee Foundation in 2000 and was promoted to Human Resources/Office Manager in 2012. She worked at Austin Travis County/MHMR (now called Integral Care) for 10 years before coming to Mary Lee. She loves spending time with her husband of 20 plus years, her son, Caeden and their 3 furry babies.

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William Whitley

Director of Fleet

512-443-5777

William joined the Mary Lee Foundation in 2019. Prior to joining us, William was the Property Manager for the Round Rock Housing Authority, before that he was the Property Manager for the Housing Authority of the City of Austin. William moved to Austin as the Senior Pastor for the Pilgrim Rest Primitive Bible Church in 2008. He is a graduate of the Dale Carnegie School for Public Speaking, has been married for 48 years, has 4 children, 10 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren!

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Tisha Gilmore

Director of Intermediate Care Facilities

512-443-5777

Tisha received her Bachelor’s Degree from Argosy University, and is currently working on her Master’s Degree. Prior to joining the Mary Lee Foundation in 2022, Tisha worked as a Life Skills Teacher for Third Future Charter School. She also previously worked as a QIDP for at Mary Lee Foundation in 2017. A native of Austin, Texas, Tisha loves cooking and music. She enjoys spending time with family and friends.

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Larry Franklin

Director of Home and Community Services

512-443-5777

Larry is a graduate of Central Texas College where he received an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice Law Enforcement technology. He is also a graduate of Ashford University were he received a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Criminal Justice in 2010. Prior to working at MLF Larry worked at the Austin transitional Center as the Assistant Facility Director until May 2024. Larry is a native of Austin and is married and has 3 children and 6 grandchildren.

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Jayme Peralez, RN

Director of Nursing

512-443-5777

Jayme has been dedicated to working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) since 2009, starting her career as a direct care staff member. She has since transitioned through various roles in healthcare, initially serving as a pharmacy technician before advancing through the LVN and RN programs at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas, graduating in 2016 and 2017, respectively. For the past six years, Jayme has worked as a registered nurse in the Home and Community-based Services (HCS) and Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) settings. Originally from Texas, she is passionate about art, particularly photography, and has exhibited her work in galleries across the United States and Europe. In addition to her professional pursuits, Jayme enjoys playing tennis and engaging in activities with her two young daughters, Daisy and Birdie, who are 3 and 4 years old.

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John Remington

Director of Housing

512-443-5777

John moved to Austin 30 years ago where he started his affordable housing, property management career. He was the assistant manager at the Mary Lee Foundation for 3 years before moving to a senior, non-profit community as the Manager for seven years. John rejoined the Mary Lee Foundation in February 2025 as the Property Manager, where he has the philosophy that everyone should have a safe, clean-living and positive experience where they live. Outside of work, John enjoys getting outdoors and taking hikes.

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Non-Discrimination Policy

The Mary Lee Foundation complies with the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. People who are eligible to participate in the programs at Mary Lee Foundation are not discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, or political belief.