A transcript included in former Tarrant County employee Gabriel Rivas IV’s termination appeal attributes to Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons (D-Precinct 2) an acknowledgment that she did not know what a nonprofit founder’s taxpayer-funded program was about after her office backed two county grants totaling $25,000.
Tarrant County paid Finding Me Academy Global $15,000 in 2024 and $10,000 in 2025. Simmons requested the 2024 grant item. Rivas prepared the 2025 grant communication, the Precinct 2 office submitted it, and Simmons approved it, according to county records.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the November 17, 2025, transcript appears in a 33-page packet tied to Rivas’ Civil Service Commission appeal. The 26-page transcript is marked Exhibit 3. The Dallas Express requested the underlying audio from Tarrant County but had not received or independently reviewed it before publication.
‘Yeah, me either’
Near the end of the November 17 conversation, Rivas discussed Darmetreis Kilgore, the founding president of Finding Me Academy Global. Rivas said Simmons had already attended two of Kilgore’s youth events that year and that Kilgore wanted her to attend another one.
“He’s, he wants more money and he wants Commissioner to come out again because that’s his only programs that he has for these kids is lining up elected officials to talk to them,” Rivas said.
“Yeah,” Simmons replied.
“I’ve already told him we’re trying to figure out the grant process that they want us to have,” Rivas said.
“Yeah, really he wants another ten thousand dollars when he just got ten thousand dollars this summer,” Rivas said.
“Yeah,” Simmons replied.
“Handle that,” she added.
“Yeah I don’t know what his program is honestly,” Rivas said.
“Yeah, me either,” Simmons replied.
The transcript does not establish that Finding Me Academy Global submitted a formal request for another $10,000. Rivas was describing Kilgore’s request and the nonprofit’s activities as Rivas understood them.
Posts show a public relationship
Facebook posts reviewed by The Dallas Express document a public relationship between Simmons and Kilgore spanning more than two years.
In an October 13, 2023, post from a Simmons town hall, Kilgore called Simmons his “great friend.” The post included a photograph of Kilgore standing beside Simmons.
A May 29, 2024, post from Finding Me Academy Global thanked Simmons for “blessing Finding Me Academy Global with funds to serve more youth and families through Tarrant County.” The post showed Kilgore and Simmons holding a ceremonial $15,000 check dated May 7, 2024, for support services to Tarrant County. County payment records show the nonprofit received $15,000 on May 21, 2024.
The public association continued after the recorded November 2025 conversation. In a December 8, 2025, post, Kilgore said he was “very honored to support our next Tarrant County Judge, Alisa Simmons” and thanked her for supporting Finding Me Academy Global’s mission and vision. Photographs in the post showed Kilgore and Simmons at a campaign event surrounded by Simmons for Tarrant County judge signs.
The posts document Simmons’ public association with Kilgore and the nonprofit. They do not establish what she knew about its day-to-day operations or program results.
County records described the programs
The 2024 grant materials described Finding Me Academy Global as an after-school and summer program for Tarrant County students in grades 3-12. The county agreement said the organization would provide classes on financial planning, public speaking, effective communication and other life skills. The Commissioners Court approved the $15,000 agreement on May 7, 2024.
The 2025 grant packet described a Conflict Resolution, Life Skills, and Workforce Development Program expected to serve approximately 160 Tarrant County students in grades 3-12. The program was to include academic and life-skills instruction, college and career readiness workshops, workplace preparation, interpersonal communication, public speaking, financial literacy and personal development.
The full Commissioners Court approved the 2025 agreement by a 5-0 vote on June 3, 2025. The county paid the nonprofit $10,000 on June 17, 2025.
Finding Me Academy Global’s website says the nonprofit provides academic enrichment, workforce and entrepreneurial training, life-skills and character development, mentorship and community engagement. Its about page identifies Kilgore as its founding president.
Reports required before additional funding
Both county agreements required Finding Me Academy Global to provide records upon written request and submit final reports detailing program outcomes, the populations its programs served and how it spent county money.
The 2024 agreement set a November 30, 2024, deadline for its final report. The 2025 agreement set a November 30, 2025, deadline, 13 days after the recorded conversation. Both agreements directed the county to withhold subsequent funding until it received the required report.
The grant materials The Dallas Express reviewed did not include the final reports. The transcript does not state whether Finding Me Academy Global submitted the 2025 report by November 17 or which reports, if any, Simmons or her staff reviewed before discussing another possible funding request.
The Dallas Express reached out to Simmons and Finding Me Academy Global for comment regarding the transcript, county grant records and Facebook posts but did not receive responses before publication.
Provided by Dallas Express
