Ms. Oates is involved in several community initiatives that are significantly improving outcomes for individuals and families across the region including serving on boards and councils. She serves on the board of AYA Foundation San Antonio because she cares about its mission and helping adolescents and young adults with the resources they need during a trying time. Ms. Oates currently serves on other boards and councils such as The Christus Santa Rosa Health Care Corporation, The Bexar County Health Collaborative, The Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics of the UT Health San Antonio’s School of Medicine, and the board of Leadership Women.

Ms. Oates’ service to her community has been celebrated by the San Antonio Commission on Literacy, which recognized her as a leader in the promotion of Lifelong Learning. She has been the recipient of the American Heart Association’s William T. Wright Award for community service. In addition, she has received the Community Service Award and the Visionary Award from the Health Collaborative. She was named Director Emeritus of CI: Now, a National Neighborhood Indicators Project partner staffed by the Urban Institute. She is a graduate of Leadership Texas 2000 and Leadership America 2012.

Ms. Oates received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Texas at San Antonio.