Veteran Outreach Team
LaShonda Johnson
Case Manager Supervisor
Former U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. LaShonda Johnson is a Houston native who has dedicated her life to service and her family.
LaShonda joined the Marine Corps in 2000, and entered service as a Legal Services Specialist, and subsequently continued to rise up through the ranks to a Staff Non-Commissioned Officer.
She forward-deployed to various locations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom all while continuing her education to earn her two bachelors in Criminal Justice and Health Care Management.
She was then re-assigned to Houston and was put in charge of a Marine Recruiting Substation where she built a strong bond with the Harris County Veteran community. In 2013, LaShonda pursued a career with the Texas State Troopers, but was forced to resign returning home to take care of her family’s needs.
However, her resignation was a blessing in disguise. LaShonda ended up working with her Houston Veteran connections to further serve the community with the Mission Continues, Wounded Warrior Project, Lone Star Veteran Association, Travis Manion Foundation, and the Houston Veteran Affairs (VA) in various leadership roles.
Despite having left active duty, LaShonda continues to serve her community with the service and values of a Marine.
During her time as a Veteran advocate, LaShonda helped usher projects with the Texas State, as her testimonies in front of the Texas Congress were major reasons for the establishment of the Women’s Veterans Day on June 12th, and the deployment of the Women’s Veteran License Plates.
As Hurricane Harvey impacted Harris County, LaShonda lost all of her personal belongings, cars, old uniforms, and even her service animal. Yet after she situated her children, she was immediately back in the community helping others. As a result, the Houston Mayor recognized her contributions and proclaimed Feb. 8th as a Houston Mayor’s day dedicated to LaShonda Johnson.
LaShonda joined the Harris County VSD as the Case Manager Supervisor on October, 2023, and proudly leads the department’s outreach team to help veterans in the community who are unable to reach out otherwise.
Elizabeth Hernandez, LMSW
Veterans Case Manager, Team Lead
Elizabeth is a Houston native with a passion to serve and has more than a decade of experience serving the Harris County community, and other international communities.
After earning her Bachelors in Social Work from Texas State University, Elizabeth started work with the Harris Center’s Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) and dealt with crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and emergency case management.
Through the pandemic, Elizabeth transferred to the NeuroPsychiatric Center (NPC) where she assessed and treated people of all ages in acute mental health crises in a hospitalized setting. At the same time, Elizabeth studied and earned a Masters in Social work with an emphasis in Mental Health from the University of Texas at Arlington.
She then transferred to the Harris Center’s Diversion Center, where she interacted closely with formerly incarcerated veterans, and assisted them stabilize their lives and mental health, to re-integrate into the greater Harris County community.
In 2022, Elizabeth became a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), and joined the Veteran Services Department (VSD) as a team lead to continue her service to the Harris County Veteran community, and to further mentor new generations of VSD employees who help serve veterans every day.
Since Elizabeth’s time with the VSD, she has immersed herself in veteran culture of all eras and branches. She has learned to eat MREs, field strip and maintain an M16, spoken military lingo, and continued to learn to shoot rifles and pistols.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with my family, friends, and her 5 dogs, her sugar glider, and turtle. She also enjoys doing arts, crafts and decorating, but most of all she love to travel.
As a volunteer Social Worker for the Musa Basketball Foundation based out of Bauchi, Nigeria, Elizabeth takes personal time to help donate basketballs, shoes, clothes, and resources to the communities in need, while enjoying the games of basketball with the local children.
Matt Walton
Veterans Case Manager
Matt is a Houston native with a passion for serving and has a lifetime of experience serving the Harris County community. With a passion for serving,
Matt was employed helping people of all ages in acute mental health crises in a hospitalized setting.
At the same time, Matt served his community by cleaning up and rehabilitating homes after multiple natural disasters. In 2022, Matt made the transition to the PTSD Foundation of America to help veterans struggling with PTSD. He worked with all parts of the business to facilitate projects and create long-lasting relationships with the community and local businesses.
In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 dogs. They love to spend time outside, paddling the river, camping, or taking their side-by-side out on the trails.
Erica Rosales
Veterans Program Coordinator
Born and raised in Houston, Erica Rosales leans on her experience working in difficult situations along with her certifications in security and Private Investigations to do the important job of Veteran Services Coordinator for our Suicide Prevention Team.
Erica graduated from the University of Houston–Downtown with her bachelor’s in criminal justice and a minor in Psychology. In her last semester, she interned with the VSD and fell in love with the work that was being done for veterans in need.
Erica enjoys being outside and has a passion for protecting nature with her eventual goal of becoming a Texas Game Warden. Erica also enjoys crocheting and reading.
Jose “Nando” Ramirez
Veterans Program Coordinator
Nando was born and raised in south San Jose, California. After finishing High School Nando attended one semester at junior college before joining the Army in March 2002 as an infantryman. After finishing initial entry training (basic training), he was assigned to 1st Infantry Division 1st Battalion 18 Infantry Regiment Schweinfurt Germany.
Nando was apart of Task Force 1/18 deployed to Tikrit as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Nando reenlisted and station at Schofield Barracks 1st Battalion 27th Infantry Regiment in Hawaii.
After being Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, Nando left the Army and move to Houston Texas in 2008 started his career as a railroad subcontractor as Labor, machine operator, and assistant Division manager.
After spending 10 years as a subcontractor, he returned to school and got his Bachelor of Science in Health with a minor in Human Development and Family Services.
In his free time, you can find Nando outdoors fishing, working on cars or motorcycles, or some back road riding his motorcycles.
Danielle Clark
Veterans Program Coordinator
Danielle has had a passion for serving veterans that spans back to her time in Florida when she worked with incarcerated veterans dealing with substance abuse issues.
After Danielle graduated from Edward Waters University where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with a minor in psychology, she decided to move to Houston in 2022 to be closer to her family. Shortly after, she joined the VSD family and has been an exceptional member of the VSD family due to her extensive knowledge of mental health and her ability to actively listen to clients.
Outside of work, Danielle enjoys hot yoga, traveling, and spending time with family. She also enjoys visiting art museums.
