FAITH
“You can’t go through a day without remembering you’re part of a larger world,” Timothy Davenport-Herbst says.
From his new home, he and his wife can see parts of New Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua, Mexico – a daily reminder of the vast cultural landscape surrounding them.
“It’s one of the best places I could ever imagine – beyond my wildest dreams.”
Today, Tim is the CEO of Project Vida in El Paso, but for more than 16 years, he lived in San Angelo, serving the congregation of St. Paul Presbyterian Church on Park Street.
In a recent interview, he reflected on how his time here helped shape him.
A Major Contrast
Project Vida is a complex network of more than seven different organizations, including a health center, community-development corporations, and an LLC, and Tim oversees more than 150 employees in a metro area of about 2 million people. He also leads a graduate medical education program.
Last year alone, Project Vida served 12,000 patients.
So, how did a Presbyterian pastor from San Angelo end up leading the fourth-largest nonprofit in such a large community?
“When I first started getting approached about this in July of 2024, I thought, ‘What on Earth makes any of you think I’m qualified?’”
With time, he came to realize that his years in San Angelo had prepared him more than he knew.
“This is the job I didn’t know I was secretly training for, for 30 years,” he says. “And that’s the best thing in life, right?
“Each thing propels us forward to the next thing.”
How San Angelo Shaped His Leadership
In his early days as a community leader, he recalls fractures in the world of nonprofits, with local boards largely dominated by family members, limited collaboration among agencies, and little- to-no connection between services.
It seemed the local agencies were operating as silos.
“I remember when I got there, the nonprofits did not cooperate together very well… I got to be a small part of us coming together and getting to know each other and collaborate, and that skill has been immensely transferrable over here.”
His pastoral experience also prepared him for executive leadership, where transparency and accountability play important roles in success.
“Being a pastor means you’re in a glass house,” he says. “And you can either be okay with that, and deal with it, or you can hate it and hide from it, and you’re going to be unsuccessful.”
Overcoming Hardships, Together
Like many rural communities, San Angelo was heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but Tim recalls this hard time serving as a catalyst for greater change in the community.
“We had all these folks that were involved – and it wasn’t just St. Paul people. It was like the community was coming together.”
At one point, St. Paul became the largest distributor of food in 16 counties. While other communities grew more distant, San Angelo grew more connected.
During lockdowns and times of social distancing, nonprofits and helpers had to get creative.
Together, they figured out a way to provide online church services, community-wide volunteer efforts, and cross-organizational teamwork that resulted in friendships and bonds between agencies that still stand strong today.
Then came Winter Storm “Uri” – another test of San Angelo’s spirit of community.
“That was traumatic for me, and for so many people. But people literally opened their homes to other folks,” Tim says. “And that was amazing to be a part of that, and to see that.”
These moments revealed the power of mutual aid, and the resilience of community that refuses to leave its neighbors behind.
The Power of Friendship in Leadership
Tim’s approach to leadership is about more than learned skills: it’s about kindness, attitude, and readiness to learn and make change. And for him, the first step is showing up.
“It’s just like everything in life – show up. And be open to saying ‘yes’ and seeing where you can blossom, because there are places you wouldn’t even imagine.”
That philosophy guided him in San Angelo, and it guided him to his new role in El Paso.
“When I came here to interview, they brought in 20-25 community leaders. We sat at a huge table, and everyone got to ask me questions.
“But that really cemented it for me. Because every question was: How’s your relationship with the queer community? How about the homeless population? What about mental health? What about hunger?”
Tim said each question brought him back to work he had done in San Angelo – work that shaped his answers and his confidence.
- LGBTQ+: St. Paul was the first Presbyterian church in the country to legally ordain a married gay man. With Project Vida, he remains a dedicated ally to the community.
- Homelessness: St. Paul ran the Oasis Day Shelter in San Angelo, and Tim was an instrumental member of the Concho Valley Homeless Planning Coalition. His new organization supports rapid rehousing, supportive housing, and permanent supportive housing.
- Mental Health: Tim’s work with West Texas Counseling and Guidance and MHMR set him up for success in continuing that journey through his work today.
- Hunger: Tim’s work with the local food banks and his own food distribution center paved the path for him to understand rural hunger initiatives on a deeper level.
That’s why Tim believes in showing up and saying “yes” – because you never know what’s around the corner.
“What happens if you say yes to the opportunities? Assume it’s God, or the Universe putting it in your path, and that there’s some meaning out of it. And be present. Be present in the joyful, and the difficult times.”
What He Hopes to Bring to El Paso
Tim sees collaboration as the heart of his leadership; a lesson learned through service to San Angelo.
“When I started in-person staff meetings in June of this year, it was the first time in over five years that everyone had been in the same room,” he said, “And this has opened up a whole new world of possibilities of collaboration.”
“Community connections are what El Paso needs,” he adds. “I’m getting to make a significant difference in bringing different organizations together. And we get to collaborate. And we get to dream together.”
Now, Tim is applying the same relational model in a much larger system.
Legacy and Hope for San Angelo
While Tim didn’t know his family would move to San Angelo – a place they’d never even heard of – their experiences in this rural, West Texas community changed their lives.
“It was amazing, and it was really healing for our family,” he says. “San Angelo was transformative for us. The love and support there was second to none.”
Leaving was far harder than he anticipated.
“It was the most difficult decision we’ve ever made. I don’t even have words for it.”
He describes San Angelo as “a place of love, risk-taking, and welcome”, a culture he believes is largely inspired by the military roots and long-practiced hospitality.
Above all, he said what meant the most to him were the friendships he made, which he believes are key to successful leadership and community support.
“Those friendships are really important, because you have to trust people. And you can get to the point where you trust people as reliable partners, but they have a different position in my trust matrix than if I call them a friend. Making friends and appreciating so many diverse people is important.”
Tim remains proud to see a city he once called home working toward permanent solutions to homelessness. He still maintains connections from the area, serving on a local board, and stays connected through ongoing relationships from his time here.
“It was a place I wanted to be – a place I was proud to be from. That community is just so well set-up with amazing people, in such a way that it’s going to balance all the resources it needs to be able to go into the rest of this century and beyond.”
And now, from a home where he can see expansive beauty, he still looks back toward the place that shaped him. And one thing stares back from the horizon: a bright future for both the man and the city he left behind.
Dr. Timothy Davenport-Herbest earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Methodist University. Project Vida is a community outreach agency operating health clinics, low-income housing, education programs, financial and business coaching, and homelessness prevention and recovery programs in one of El Paso’s most impoverished areas.
