Our LeadershiP
Jo Virgil, President
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Jo Virgil, a third-generation Texan, spent her career as a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper, as Community Relations Manager for Barnes & Noble, and as the Community Outreach and Information Specialist for the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities.
She has a Master of Journalism degree with a minor in Environmental Science, reflecting her love of writing and appreciation of nature. Jo retired in 2016, but has had a life filled with all sorts of excellent discussion groups, writing groups, and story-sharing groups.
She has been a Texas Folklore Society member for many years, has had some of her stories published in the TFS books, and she loves telling and hearing tales (and tall tales) about Texas.
KRISTINA DOWNS, Secretary-Editor/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Kristina Downs is the Long Endowed Chair and an assistant professor of English and folklore at Tarleton State University, the host institution of the Texas Folklore Society. Before joining the faculty in 2021, Kristina worked with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and Northern Virginia Community College.
Kristina is the daughter of a Texan and a Louisianian but grew up all over the United States courtesy of the United States Air Force. She explored various disciplines and careers before discovering she had been looking for folklore studies all her life. She holds a Ph.D. in Folklore from Indiana University, an MA in Folklore from George Mason University, and a BA in Latin American Studies from the College of William and Mary.
Kristina was managing editor of the Journal of Folklore Research for five years and is co-editor of the edited volume Advancing Folkloristics (Indiana University Press, 2021), which considers current issues in the field of folklore studies. Her research focuses mostly on legends, particularly how legends interact with history, literature, news, and digital culture. Her dissertation examined representations of Indigenous heroines in the United States and Mexico.
Amanda Jenkins, office manager
Amanda Jenkins has been on staff at Tarleton State University since 2018, when she signed on as an executive assistant. She previously worked as a community journalist in Stephenville, Glen Rose, and the surrounding communities. During her journalism career, Amanda garnered numerous press awards, including being a three-time Journalist of the Year with the West Texas Press Association and being awarded the best small news website by the Texas Press Association. She is also an awarded feature and headline writer, with accolades from various press associations across the state of Texas.
Born in Kentucky to a Texas cowman, Amanda’s family moved her to Texas at six months old—as quickly as they could. She has since identified as a Texan. She considers El Paso her hometown and has a love for border culture and the region’s native flavors. Her family has deep roots in East Texas, primarily in Anderson County, where some of her family still resides.
Amanda has been called a lot of (mostly good) things, but her favorite moniker is storyteller. Her love for the craft comes from her father’s shared memories (maybe a few tall tales) of growing up in a poor farming family in rural East Texas.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2025–2026
Executive Team
PRESIDENT. . . . . . . . . .Jo Virgil (Austin)
VICE-PRESIDENT. . . . . . . . . .Heath Dollar (Fort Worth)
TREASURER. . . . . . . . . .Blaine Williams (Dripping Springs)
SECRETARY-EDITOR/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. . . . . . . .Kristina Downs (Stephenville)
PAST PRESIDENT. . . . . . . .MaryAnn Blue (San Antonio)
OFFICE MANAGER. . . . . . . .Amanda Jenkins (Stephenville)
DIRECTORs
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Kaitlyn Chacon (Laredo) 2026 Allan Chapman (Decatur) 2026 John Pelham (Granbury) 2027 Vacant 2027 Karen Trikilis (Austin) 2028 |
Justin Swink (Watauga) 2026 Jim Matthews (San Antonio) 2027 Richard Orton (Nacogdoches) 2027 Rollo Newsom (Austin) 2028 Vacant 2028 |