Meet our board of directors

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Jessica is Evie’s mom.

 Jessica has always had the nature of an artist. From her early lessons in pastels and oil painting, through her Photography degree from The Art Institute of Dallas, art is a constant in her life. After the loss of her youngest daughter, it was only natural that she’d turn to painting and photography to heal. Inspired by a kindness rock left by their friend, Jessica and her husband, Michael, started painting through the grief.

“I'm inspired by people that have overcome any kind of adversity,” Jessica explains. “People who get up every day—in spite of what they have gone through—and persevere.” Seeing what a difference painting and hiding rocks made to her family’s grieving process, Jessica wanted to do more. “I wanted to start a conversation to help erase the stigma of mental illness and suicide. As a non-profit team we can do more, reach more peaople and really make a difference.” 

If you’re around Jessica for long, she’s just as likely to break into song or answer a question with a quote from a favorite movie. “I might possibly, start dancing at the grocery store to make my kids laugh,” she said. “Evie loved it. She said it made her life amazing.” 

Rock-painting specialties: Flowers, waves, semi-colons, and hearts … lots and lots of hearts

Michael is Evie’s dad.

Michael Domingos is one of the founders of Tiny Evie Rocks and an accomplished speaker and writer. He was a professional speaker and writer for several years on overcoming adversity and grief. Michael graduated from the Speakers Academy as part of the National Speakers Association and also achieved Distinguished Toastmaster from Toastmasters International, the highest educational level attainable. Michael also served as a featured columnist for national magazines and as a freelance reporter for local newspapers. 

“I’m most inspired by those who have faced challenges and have used those experiences to help other people,” Michael explains. “That’s what led us to start Tiny Evie Rocks.” He’s thankful for the people who helped him and Jessica after the loss of Evie. Galvanized by the support from the community, Michael is using his knowledge of grief support and public speaking to pay it forward and help others who are walking the path of healing after a loss.  

A graduate of Tarleton State University, Michael has always been intrigued by the sport of rodeo and one of his heroes is Lane Frost. He jokes that his own professional bull-riding career lasted all of three seconds.  

Rock-painting specialties: Rock’n’Roll, rodeo, and Dad jokes.

For Cheryl, kindness is a driving force in her life. Having survived her own suicide attempt, she strives to share kindness in everything that she does to help others and make a difference in their lives. She had often thought about volunteering in the past but felt compelled to join Tiny Evie Rocks.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said "The surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others” so it is understandable that he is considered one of Cheryl's heroes. She says that she is inspired by him because he was fearless, motivating and a believer in non-violence.

When not busy with being mom, grandmother or volunteering, Cheryl likes to spend her spare time learning to belly dance. Although she jokes that she has two left feet, she loves the style of dance and enjoys the challenge.

Cheryl enjoys painting beautiful messages for others, butterflies and fun care-free rocks.

There is a common saying about being the change you want to see and Aaron lives this by example.  Having had his own struggles with mental health, he is passionate about bringing this topic into the light and erasing the stigma that leads people away from discussing it. 

Aaron was born and raised around Tyler and attended Tyler Junior College where he earned his Associates Degree.  His work experience revolves around Accounting & Finance, Information Technology and Hospitality.  

While Aaron does not have a specific hero, has a lot of people in that he looks up to and that have invested deeply into his life. 

Mari Gutierrez is a shining light in the Tyler Community for promoting awareness, undearstanding and compassion regarding mental health and suicide. She is a licensed Psychological Associate and is currently the CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) program evaluator at the Andrews Center. She is also a trainer for ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and will be co-leading training workshops to help people learn how to interact and support those with thoughts of suicide.

Mari also has the unique opportunity of working alongside one of her heroes, Dr. Charles Walker. A local clinical neuropsychologist, she says that she is inspired by his professionalism and compassion when working with individuals to find the best quality of life through mental health treatment.  She has worked with him in various roles for over a decade and currently provides neuropsychological assessment services at Precision Spine Care. 

She has also been blessed with a strong network of family, friends and colleagues in the mental health industry that give her inspiration. A continual learner, she also draws motivation from the various cultural and spiritual differences of love and learning the different perspectives of others.  

Mari was motivated to join Tiny Evie Rocks as we look to initiate conversations about mental health. She would like to reach those who are curious or may be in search of direction or support but are hesitant to talk with a mental health practitioner for various reasons. 

In her free time, she is a belly dancer with a local dance group and also enjoys exploring new places with her son.  Additional interests include reading, walking her dogs, and running. She is a self-proclaimed nerd who is an avid Star Wars and Batman fan and loves video games.   

As Mari is new to rock painting, she has not yet identified her favorites yet but the force is strong with this one.

There is an old saying about how grandchildren are a grandparents link to the future while grandparents are a child's link to the past. Patricia can definitely relate to this as she not only shares her name but her passion for helping others. Her grandmother used to visit the Diabetes Association, churches and senior citizen centers to brighten the day for others.

Today, Patricia continues the family legacy of serving others through her work in the non-profit community. After the loss of her son Maxwell, she felt compelled to turn his loss into something meaningful. She left a successful career in the corporate world to focus on serving others. 

Patricia is also looking to the future as she spends invaluable time passing these traits to her children. Whether seeking adventures, visiting museums or future American Ninja training; she dedicates her free time to her family. Patricia is also an avid food puzzler subjecting her family to her cooking experiments :)

Patricia likes to paint rocks that involve special meaning, life history, and her family.

Bio coming soon!