Taylor E. W.

Background

About Taylor E. W.

Taylor E. “Paddles” Watson is a social entrepreneur and consultant who relaunched her firm, The Alcachofa Agency in spring of 2022. She specializes in supporting national security and military-aligned projects, focusing on reinvigorating legacy organizations and out-of-the-box approaches to impact goals. Recent projects include developing an innovative online community platform to revitalize a military aviation organization, supporting an impact campaign for a documentary advocating for holistic, BIPOC-centered mental health strategies for veterans, and assisting with content strategy for military podcasts. She was admitted as a Political Partner to Truman National Security Project in 2022. Life circumstances led to eclectic jobs in ministry, education, tech, wealth management, and the service industry, providing a unique skill set and perspective. Feeling the itch of public service, she developed an impressive track record in community organizing and local government outside of the office. She currently represents San Antonio’s Eastside as District 2 Zoning Commissioner, advocating for equitable development, affordable housing, and environmental justice through zoning and land use policy. Selected as a New Leaders Council Fellow and Notley Fellow in 2021, she has been the NLC-SATX Institute Chair since 2022, facilitating leadership training and personal development for San Antonio’s newest progressive leaders. Serving on multiple boards since 2018, she is known for disrupting establishment spaces through grassroots fundraising and effective engagement of millennials in community organizations. The daughter of an Air Force Special Operations aviator, her passion for service was formed by lived experiences growing up in a military family. Educated at the University of Rochester, she developed an interdisciplinary degree, U.S. Military Policy and Culture, drawing from anthropology, political science, and military science. She pursued research and writing projects on community narratives of war and conflict, the politics of mourning, and effective support for military, veterans, and their families, and plans to build on this work through graduate studies in Fall of 2023 in pursuit of an academic career.