![\"Van](\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Van-Zandt-2-1024x461.jpg\")
Hendricks credits Van Zandt for having a similar impact on his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe is an intellectual leader in the fields of housing, social vulnerability, community development, disaster recovery and hazards,\u201d said Hendricks. \u201cHer work has been transformative in the lives of students, colleagues and in our profession. As a role model and trusted advisor, I couldn\u2019t overstate the impact she has made on my life and career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van Zandt\u2019s big picture view of her role led to mentoring a former student who heads the REACH Project, a nonprofit organization that helps contract employees who work on the Texas A&M campus. Contract employees generally receive low wages and have unmet needs related to health care, food security, affordable housing, money management and education. Referred to as essential Aggies, these workers include food service, custodial, maintenance and security guards who maintain the educational, research and daily living spaces of students, faculty and staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted to develop affordable, quality housing options for essential Aggies,\u201d said Max Gerall \u201818, a communications graduate and co- founding CEO of the REACH Project. \u201cVan Zandt\u2019s name kept coming up as an expert with a passion for affordable housing, so I went to her office unannounced and waited until she could meet with me,\u201d said Gerall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gerall shared his vision for the REACH Project and his notable accomplishments up to that point, and Van Zandt became his mentor, friend, a champion for the cause \u2014 and later became a member of the project team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe challenged me to think broadly, to learn more about our community, and pointed me to resources that could help,\u201d said Gerall. \u201cWe looked at research to discover what has worked and what hasn\u2019t in developing affordable housing, and she introduced me to individuals and organizations whose missions could support our efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van Zandt accepted a volunteer position as president of the REACH 12 Advisory Board, and she also heads the group\u2019s housing consortium, which aims to create affordable housing for clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEssential Aggies are so important to the success of the university, and many are second-generation employees who support our institution,\u201d she said. \u201cMy involvement gives me an opportunity to support individuals and families that make Aggieland better, and it aligns with my personal and professional interests,\u201d said Van Zandt, who has helped open doors for the organization and facilitated collaborative relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are exploring the possibility of working with the university to build what we\u2019re calling a learning village that would offer affordable housing for our clients, and educational and research opportunities for students,\u201d said Gerall. \u201cShe has served as a resource and mentor, and has helped me to develop as a leader.\u201d Van Zandt has also had a hand in shaping the processes by which the organization operates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe is extremely thorough in everything she does,\u201d said Gerall. \u201cI get really excited and sometimes want to just push through, but she makes sure we\u2019ve done our due diligence by researching options, making a strategic plan and creating a foundation for success. She\u2019s really helped to position the REACH Project well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Van Zandt is poised to make a tremendous impact on in her areas of expertise through her interaction with students and peers as a teacher, researcher, and mentor. Gerall and Hendricks are two examples in a long line of inspired and thankful colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe is a compassionate, yet fearless leader and finds a great balance between being personable and facilitating productivity,\u201d said Hendricks. \u201cI can\u2019t imagine how I would have navigated graduate school and my path to being a tenured professor without her input. Mentors matter, and she is one of the best!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Van](\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Van-Zandt-3-1024x461.jpg\")