TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER FACULTY ROSTER

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1 TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER FACULTY ROSTER Regional Judges Seminar Michael Acuna Judge City of Dallas 2014 Main St Ste. 227 Dallas, TX Rodney Adams City of Irving P.O. Box Irving, TX Laura Anderson Judge City of Irving P.O. Box Irving, TX Cody Beauchamp City of Corsica 200 N. 12 th Street Corsicana, TX Bianca Bentzin Chief Prosecutor City of Austin 700 E. 7th St. Austin, TX Cass Callaway City of Hutchins P.O. Box 500 Hutchins, TX Katherine Chancia Associate Judge City of Jersey Village Lakeview Drive Jersey Village, TX Elizabeth De La Garza TxDOT Grant Administrator TMCEC 2210 Hancock Drive Austin, TX Peter De Leef Associate Judge City of El Lago 98 Lake Shore Drive El Lago, Texas Angela Downes Associate Judge City of Glenn Heights 1938 S. Hampton Rd. Glenn Heights, TX Gary Ellsworth City of Spearman P.O. Box 37 Spearman, TX Mark Goodner Deputy Counsel and Director of Judicial Education TMCEC 2210 Hancock Drive Austin, TX Dr. Maher Karam-Hage Professor of Psychiatry MD Anderson Cancer Center P.O. Box Houston, TX Pamela Liston City of Rowlett 4401 Rowlett Rd. Rowlett, TX J. Elaine Marshall City of Houston 1400 Lubbock St. Houston, TX Stewart Milner City of Chief Judge Arlington PO Box 90403, MS Arlington, TX Ned Minevitz TxDOT Grant Administrator & Program Attorney TMCEC 2210 Hancock Drive Austin, TX Kimberly Piechowiak Domestic Violence Resource Attorney Office of Court Administration P.O. Box Austin, TX Andrew Quittner City Attorney City of Seguin 660 S State Highway 46 Seguin, TX aquittner@seguintexas.gov Robin Ramsay Associate Criminal Judge Denton County robin.ramsay@dentoncounty.com Edward Spillane City of College Station 300 Kreneck Tap Road College Station, TX espillane@cstx.gov Michael Strawn Driver Education and Traffic Safety Compliance Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Austin, TX michael.strawn@tdlr.texas.gov

2 Ryan Kellus Turner General Counsel & Director of Education TMCEC 2210 Hancock Drive Austin, TX Matthew Wright City of Rosebud P.O. Box 657 Rosebud, TX

3 2210 Hancock Drive, Austin, Texas fax FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES MICHAEL ACUÑA Michael Acuña has been a full-time judge for the City of Dallas Municipal Court since August He received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and was admitted to the Bar in He began his legal career at the City of Houston in 1993 as a municipal court prosecutor. In April 1997, Judge Acuña moved to the Land Use Division where he litigated nuisance abatement and sexually oriented business cases in state and federal courts. In November 1999, he was recruited by the City of Dallas which created the position of Assistant Chief Prosecutor for him. He served in that capacity until he was first appointed to the bench. Since then, Judge Acuña has presided over various dockets including traffic, penal code, animal control, bond forfeitures, environmental pollution, substandard buildings, and gambling machine cases. Judge Acuña represents the City of Dallas on the Dallas County Bail Bond Board. Judge Acuña was the region III representative on TMCEC/TMCA board of directors from the Fall of 2013 to September He is the chair for the board s Education Committees. He also serves on the Budget & Finance Committee. He has been a regular speaker for TMCEC and other entities on many subjects since 1994 including municipal court complaints, bail bond forfeitures, pretrial hearings, court interpreters, cross-examination, Chapter 54 and 125 cases, attorney general opinions, sexting, bullying, online impersonation, jury charges and legislative updates. In July of 2017, Judge Acuña was elected President of the TMCA. RODNEY ADAMS Rodney D. Adams is the Presiding Municipal judge of the Municipal Court of Irving, Texas, a city of over 227,000 residents strategically situated between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. He was appointed on October 1, Prior to that, he served as an Irving Municipal judge for two years, making him the first African-American judge ever appointed in Irving, Texas. He is a former prosecutor, and Senior Assistant City Attorney with the City of Irving, Texas, a position in which he served as lead transactional attorney for such matters as Irving s Texas Stadium lease, and its recently completed $133 million Convention Center. In addition, Rodney served as Deputy General Counsel of the Irving Housing Finance Corporation, an affordable housing nonprofit corporation that he incorporated. Overall, Rodney has been a practicing attorney for over nineteen years. He attended Texas Wesleyan University School of Law and served as President of both the Student Bar Association and Black Law Students Association. He is also a founding member of the Texas Wesleyan Law School Alumni Board of Directors. Rodney presently sits on the Board of the Texas A and M School of Law Organization of Graduates. Rodney previously held membership in the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of the American Inns of Court, and the United States Supreme Court Historical Society. He taught as an adjunct professor of Criminology at the University of Texas at Arlington as well. Rodney is presently a Bar Fellow with the Dallas Bar Association and a Trustee with the Irving Employees Supplemental Benefits Board, a $53 million public supplemental benefits plan. Rodney is also a member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court.

4 Prior to law school, Rodney built an eleven-year career in public administration at the municipal and federal levels having served with the City of San Antonio, City of Austin, the United States Commission on Civil Rights, and the City of Fort Worth, Texas. Rodney also served his country as a VISTA volunteer. Rodney received an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Houston. He then received a Master s degree in Urban Studies from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas where he was an Urban Fellow. Rodney previously served as Co-chair of the Atmos Cities Steering Committee, an organization of 142 member cities united by gas utility regulatory issues. He was also Board Secretary of the Texas Coalition of Cities for Utilities Issues, a state-wide municipal organization charged with assessing policy implications of emerging telecommunications and utilities issues; Executive Committee member of the Oncor Cities Steering Committee, and Irving s representative to the Texas Energy Reliability Council of Texas, positions he relinquished upon being appointed as a judge. He is a member of the Potters House Church of Dallas, its AMEN Men s Ministry and School of Kings; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity; a Connecting Link of Links, Inc.; a certified Lay Speaker; guest lecturer, and author. Rodney has been married to Eunice O Neil Adams for twenty-nine years and has one son, Rodney II, an aspiring entrepreneur. LAURA ANDERSON Laura Anderson is a Municipal Judge with the City of Irving. Judge Anderson was a prosecutor with the City of Irving for 10 years. Prior to working with the City of Irving, she was in private practice representing clients in juvenile, criminal and municipal court matters in County, Municipal and Justice Courts throughout Dallas and Tarrant counties. Laura has been a Teen Court Judge for the City of Irving since She received her Juris Doctorate from Baylor Law School in She has been a member of the Texas Municipal Justice Bar and Dallas County Municipal Justice Bar, Texas Municipal Courts Association, Texas District and County Attorneys Association, and Texas City Attorneys Association. Prior to working for the City of Irving, Judge Anderson was on the Irving Planning and Zoning Commission and the Irving Cable Board, graduated from the Irving Citizens Police Academy. She also served as a Dallas County Election Judge and Keep Irving Beautiful Board member. Judge Anderson loves Irving, her husband Wayne and their dogs, Harrison, Madison and Jenna, but not particularly in that order. CODY BEAUCHAMP Cody Beauchamp is the for the City of Corsicana s Municipal Court. He has served in that office since July The Corsicana Municipal Court is Navarro County s busiest court, with activity of some type occurring in over 48,000 cases during Prior to taking the bench, Cody served for three years as an Assistant District Attorney in Navarro County, under the late R. Lowell Thompson. During his time as an ADA, Cody tried 40 cases with an 80% conviction rate and resolved over 1,100 cases through plea agreements. He was also the lead attorney in the Navarro County DA s Office for civil asset forfeiture lawsuits and mental health proceedings.

5 In addition to his duties at the Corsicana Municipal Court, Cody is on the Executive Board for the United Way of Navarro County, the Executive Board for Habitat for Humanity of Navarro County, the Board of the Navarro Victims Center, the North Central Texas Council of Governments Criminal Justice Policy Development Committee, the Executive Board for the North Texas Behavioral Health Authority. Cody is also an adjunct professor teaching paralegal classes at Navarro College, where his father was also a professor and dean during Cody s childhood. (Go Bulldogs!) When he is not serving his community in some way, Cody enjoys cooking, watching and playing soccer, rock climbing, and going on long walks with his dog, Bishop BIANCA BENTZIN Bianca Bentzin is the Chief Prosecutor for the City of Austin. Bianca leads a team of attorneys and staff members responsible for the prosecution of Class C misdemeanors cited pursuant to state laws and municipal ordinances. She earned a B.A. in Political Science, History, and French from the University of Arizona in 1990 and her law degree with honors from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa in She recently earned her Master s degree in Counseling specializing in relationship and family therapy in September, After law school Bianca served as an Assistant City Prosecutor for the City of Phoenix for fifteen years including work as a trial attorney, community prosecutor, and technology development attorney. She also served on the Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Arizona and was an adjunct instructor for the paralegal program at Phoenix College teaching Legal Ethics. Bianca enjoys volunteering as a board member for the YMCA, the Samaritan Center, and as a Boy Scout leader. CASS CALLAWAY Cass Callaway was born in Bethany, Missouri in With his parents, from a farming and military background, he moved to Texas in Mr. Callaway attended public schools in San Antonio and La Vernia, Texas, before attending the University of Texas at Austin. While in college, Mr. Callaway worked at the White House communications office for the Vice-President of the United States of America. After receiving his bachelors in science in communications, Mr. Callaway moved to Washington, D.C. for a three year stint working for a political communications consulting firm. Following his D.C. experiences, Mr. Callaway moved to Lubbock, Texas to attend Texas Tech School of Law, where he achieved his law degree in May While a law student, Mr. Callaway served on the Student Board Association, the Legal Research Board, and participated in Board of Barrister advocacy competitions. Mr. Callaway serves as the presiding judge of the Hutchins Municipal Court. Mr. Callaway is also the appointed City Attorney for Godley and Venus, Texas, and the appointed City Prosecuting Attorney for Blue Mound, Texas. Mr. Callaway is a member of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, The Tarrant County Young Lawyer s Association, the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer s Association, the Tarrant County Defense Lawyer s Association, the Hood County Defense Lawyer s Association, the Texas Bar Association and the Tarrant County Bar Association.

6 KATHERINE CHANCIA Katie Chancia (formerly Tefft) is the Staff Attorney for the Harris County Justice Courts, a position that provides legal advice and assistance to the sixteen Justices of the Peace and their court staffs in Harris County. Since her first internship with the Juvenile Crime Intervention Section at the Texas Attorney General s Office while in college at Southwestern University, Ms. Chancia has spent the past 12 years working in some capacity within the criminal and juvenile justice systems. While in law school at Mercer University in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia, Ms. Chancia clerked for the District Attorney s Office in the Narcotics Division. Upon returning to Texas, she worked as a guest editor for the former Texas Juvenile Probation Commission on Dawson s Texas Juvenile Law (6 th ed.) and as an Assistant Attorney General in the Open Records Division. She then spent five great years at TMCEC as a Program Attorney and Program Director. Ms. Chancia left TMCEC in October 2013 to get married, relocate to her hometown, and get into the courtroom as an Assistant City Attorney and municipal prosecutor with the City of Houston, before ending up at her current position with the county. ELIZABETH DE LA GARZA Elizabeth De La Garza joined the TMCEC team as a TxDOT Grant Administrator for Driving on the Right Side of the Road in June Ms. De La Garza has spent the last 32 years as a public school teacher in the Round Rock Independent School District, spending most of these years at Chisholm Trail Middle School teaching music and social studies. She has her BME from Baylor University in Waco, and completed her MME at The University of Texas at Austin. Ms. De La Garza is a native of San Antonio PETER DE LEEF Mr. De Leef is a municipal judge with the City of El Lago and also has been practicing criminal law exclusively for the past 16 years. After graduating from law school, he spent more than four years as a Prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney s Office working under Johnny Holmes and Chuck Rosenthal. While at the Harris County District Attorney s Office, he spent time in the felony, misdemeanor, and JP courts of Harris County. Mr. De Leef has considerable experience in the juvenile division, family violence division, and justice of the peace division. He also has extensive experience in the trial bureau handling felony and misdemeanor cases. Mr. De Leef served as Chief Prosecutor for numerous county courts. ANGELA DOWNES Angela Downes is an attorney concerned with the most vulnerable persons in the population. Her work focuses on public service, policy and legislative efforts to protect the public trust. She provides training, policy expertise and technical assistance to non-profit agencies on interpersonal violence issues of child abuse, child protection, domestic violence, human trafficking, elder abuse and also serves as a subject matter expert on interpersonal violence issues. Ms. Downes the Associate Municipal Judge for the City of Glenn Heights, Texas. In 2008, Ms. Downes was appointed by the governor to serve on Texas State Board of

7 Examiners of Psychologists and was re-appointed in The Board is the regulatory and licensing agency for psychologists in the state. In 2005, Ms. Downes was admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court. She served as a member of the Texas Violent Gang Taskforce from A Dallas Bar Association Fellow, Angela is a graduate of Mercer University and Texas A&M School of Law formerly Texas Wesleyan School of Law where she was named Distinguished Alumni. GARY ELLSWORTH Judge Ellsworth is a non-attorney judge and has served as the Municipal Judge for the City of Spearman since December 1993 and served the City of Gruver for seven years. Judge Ellsworth participates in the Partner in Education Program for the 4 th grade at Spearman Elementary where he teaches the Junior Judges curriculum which focuses on making good choices. In 2001, he served as a judicial mentor for the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. He is also the owner and operator of the Lyric Cinema, Spearman s two-screen movie theatre, and the local agent for Beaver Express, a freight delivery & shipping company. But his favorite role in life is that of Papa to his five grandchildren. MARK GOODNER Mark Goodner is the Deputy Counsel and Director of Judicial Education for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center (TMCEC). Annually, Mark plans, develops, and oversees ten Regional Judges Seminars per year each offering 16 hours of judicial education along with two 32-hour New Judges Seminars. In addition to his work at TMCEC, Mark serves as an Associate Judge for the cities of Bee Cave, Manor, and Leander. Mark is a Certified Court Manager, having completed the Court Management Program of the Institute for Court Management in August Mr. Goodner graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1997 with a B.A. in Theatre and from the University Of Texas School Of Law with a juris doctorate and certification in the Graduate Portfolio Program in Dispute Resolution in May of MAHAR KARAM-HAGE Mahar Karam-Hage s interest in addiction is focused on the specific areas of alcohol, tobacco and comorbid disorders. In the last 12 years (after finishing training), he has designed, got funded, and carried over my own study on bupropion for alcoholic smokers. In last 10 years I have collaborated on more than 20 clinical trials as co-investigator and study physician. That is in the area of psychopharmacology of addiction on tobacco and/or alcohol. I have a keen interest in medical education and have designed and carried over several studies on how to enhance medical education on addictions. Mahar Karam-Hage has mentored several trainees from different professional backgrounds throughout the years in different capacities. He is a practicing addiction psychiatrist continuing to build my clinical experience and deriving professional satisfaction from seeing people get better and helping them recover from addiction. In addition, he finds clinical practice to be a unique and fertile ground to generate interesting and relevant clinical research questions to be put into future investigation: It is the ultimate venue for true translational research.

8 The relationship of alcohol and sleep disturbances propelled me to look for an agent that can help alcoholics with their sleep difficulties (with no addictive potential), hence my published work with gabapentin. The need for augmentation of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation in some patients who made progress while on Chantix or bupropion, prompted me to add one agent on to the other, in my clinical practice. Currently I am collaborating with Paul Cinciripini, PhD on a NIDA funded grant combining the two medications for smoking cessation. Finally, the need for some patients taking Chantix for an extra help when they are down to the last 3-4 cigarettes/day, prompted me to increase their dose beyond the usual 2 mgs/day, resulting in a good response for about a 1/3 of them without additional side effects. We are in the process of disseminating the latter information; albeit, further validation by a randomized trial is needed PAMELA LISTON Pamela Harrell Liston is the of the Rowlett Municipal Court. She is a frequent instructor for matters related to municipal court process across the state. She was a prosecutor for a total of sixteen years before becoming a judge in Ms. Liston is well-regarded for her work in appellate law, most notably in the area of habeas corpus review and relief. She has practiced in all areas of municipal court functioning, including the vast and intricate work of magistrate functioning. She is a recognized resource in the area of procedural fairness and a proponent of best due process practices. Ms. Liston graduated from Texas Tech University in 1989 with B.A. in English and from the Texas Tech School of Law with a juris doctorate in She is a past contributor to The Municipal Court Recorder and sits as the Region III Director of the Texas Municipal Courts Association. She is a past practicing member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel representing indigent defendants charged with federal crimes. Ms. Liston is admitted to all state courts, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Judge Liston is married to Judge Paul Liston, and together they have four children whom they adore. J. ELAINE MARSHALL Judge Marshall was appointed to serve as Director and for the Municipal Courts Department on December 7, 2016, by Mayor Sylvester Turner. Prior to this appointment, Judge Marshall has served the City of Houston since 1987, first as a full-time Judge, then as the Administrative Judge, and next as the Associate. One of the most rewarding experiences for Judge Marshall has been her revision of the Teen Court Program which when started had approximately 15 members, and has grown to over 200 participating students. Prior to joining the Municipal Courts Judicial Staff, Judge Marshall was an Assistant District Attorney for Harris County for 8 years and assisted in developing the office's Child Abuse Section. Judge Marshall was also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas. She earned her Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in Psychology.

9 STEWART MILNER Stewart Milner is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and the Oklahoma City University School of Law. He began his employment with the City of Arlington in 1992 as an Assistant City Attorney and became Chief Prosecutor for the City of Arlington in From 1997 to the present, he has served as the Chief Judge for the City of Arlington Municipal Court. Judge Milner has taught classes for the North Texas Council of Governments, City of Arlington Police Academy, Texas Court Clerks Association, the Building Professional Institute, The National Judicial College and the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. He is a current board member and past president of the Texas Municipal Courts Association. NED MINEVITZ Ned Minevitz, a Massachusetts native, has served as TxDOT Grant Administrator and Program Attorney at the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center since November, Mr. Minevitz also serves as General Counsel for two Massachusetts based companies: BrokenBarriers.com and Everthin LLC. He received his B.A. from Connecticut College in New London, CT where he majored in East Asian Studies. Spending extensive time in China after college, Mr. Minevitz is proficient in Mandarin Chinese. In 2013, Mr. Minevitz earned his J.D. from the Sandra Day O Connor College of Law in Tempe, AZ. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, golf, and squash. KIMBERLY PIECHOWIAK Kimberly Piechowiak has been the Domestic Violence Training Attorney for the Texas Office of Court Administration since She received her B.A. in Criminal Justice in 1989 from UTSA and her J.D. from St. Mary s University School of Law in Before coming to the OCA, Kimberly prosecuted family violence cases for 20 years, first with the Bexar County District Attorney and then the San Antonio City Attorney s Office. While with the City, Kimberly implemented and supervised the family violence prosecution program at San Antonio Municipal Court. She is a TCOLE Certified Police Instructor who has been training law enforcement officers, attorneys, and judges since 1997 on the issue of domestic violence for many local, state, and national agencies, including the San Antonio Police Training Academy, the National District Attorneys Association, the Texas Center for the Judiciary, Texas Municipal Courts Education Center, the Texas Council on Family Violence, and the Texas Criminal Justice Information Users Group. ANDREW QUITTNER For the past 3 years, Andy Quittner has been with the City of San Marcos. And for two years, has served as the Assistant City Attorney. Prior to serving in San Marcos, Mr. Quittner was the Senior Assistant City Attorney for Corpus Christi from 1999 to 2005 and the Assistant County Attorney/ Assistant District Attorney for Nueces County from 1997 to Mr. Quittner attended Louisiana State University where he received his B.S. in Biology, the University of Texas where he received his M.A. in Chemistry and the University of Texas Law School. He is a Registered Patent Attorney and serves on the Board of Directors as treasurer for Texas Clown Association.

10 Since January 2010, Mr. Quittner has served as the city attorney for Seguin, Texas. The Seguin legal department is a one person office including municipal court prosecution. Prior to taking the position in Seguin, Mr. Quittner served as an assistant city attorney, and interim city attorney in San Marcos and Corpus Christi, Texas. Mr. Quittner has also served as an assistant county attorney, assistant district attorney and a law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Corpus Christi. Mr. Quittner is a mediator, taught mediation, and has served on the board of directors for the Nueces County Dispute Resolution Center. ROBIN RAMSAY Robin Ramsay is currently an Associate District and County Criminal Court Judge for Denton County. Until November of 2018, Ramsay served as the Presiding Municipal Judge for the City of Denton. Judge Ramsay received his undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and his law degree from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Prior to becoming a judge, Judge Ramsay served as Students Attorney for the University of North Texas and as an Adjunct Professor of Business Law. After leaving the University of North Texas and prior to his current appointment, Judge Ramsay practiced law with the Hammerle Law Firm with offices in Lewisville and Denton. Judge Ramsay has received his accreditation for the American Academy of Attorney mediators and currently acts as a Mediator for both pre-litigation and litigated matters by assignment of court and at the request of the parties or their attorneys. Judge Ramsay also serves as alternate Mental Health Magistrate for Denton County at the assignment of the Denton County Probate Court. Judge Ramsay is a past-president of the Texas Municipal Courts Association and currently serves as the 2 nd Vice President. EDWARD SPILLANE Edward Spillane has been the Presiding Municipal Judge for College Station since May Prior to taking that position, he served as an Assistant District Attorney for Brazos County for eight years and as an associate for the law firm Fulbright and Jaworski for two years. Judge Spillane received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is a member of the National Task Force on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices. He served as President of the Texas Municipal Courts Association. Judge Spillane currently is the First Vice-President of the TMCEC/TMCA board, represents Texas Municipal Courts on the Judicial Council, is the judicial liaison for the State Bar s lawyer assistance program, and is on the board of the John Jay misdemeanor research project in New York City. He has written articles published in a number of publications including the Washington Post, the University of Chicago Magazine, The Recorder, and Texas Town and Cities MICHAEL STRAWN Michael Strawn is the Driver Education and Traffic Safety Project Manager for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Mr. Strawn has 11 years of State government

11 experience managing and launching new programs. Previously, he worked with the Department of Public Safety driver license division, running the Parent Taught Driver Education Program, Driver License production, Facial Recognition, Internal/External Fraud teams, and biometrics. Mr. Strawn s program management experience includes programs such as Driver Education for Adults and Teens, Driving Safety and Drug and Alcohol Awareness Programs. RYAN KELLUS TURNER Ryan Kellus Turner is General Counsel and Director of Education for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Prior to joining the Center in 1999, he served as Briefing Attorney for Judge Sharon Keller at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Mr. Turner obtained his juris doctorate from Southern Methodist University School of Law. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with highest honors from St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas, where he now teaches as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences. In 2004 and 2013, he was the recipient of the School s Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award and a finalist for the University Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award in Mr. Turner previously served as a Special Assistant County Attorney for Kendall County. He is currently Deputy City Attorney for the City of Dripping Springs and also serves as a Substitute Associate Judge on the Austin Municipal Court. In 2011, he was an advisory member on the Texas Judicial Council s Juvenile Justice Committee. In 2012, Mr. Turner was named Co-Chair of the Texas Judicial Council Legislative Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice. He is current an advisory member on the Texas Judicial Council s Pretrial Justice Committee. A native Texan, Mr. Turner was raised in the north Texas town of Vernon. He is the co-author of the books Lone Star Justice: A Comprehensive Overview of the Texas Criminal Justice System and The Municipal Judges Book. MATTHEW WRIGHT Judge Wright is the for the Rosebud Court of Record and the Lott Municipal Court of Falls County, Texas. In addition, He is a member of the Diaz & Wright, PLLC firm and works in the areas of constitutional, municipal and charity law. Judge Wright teaches Negotiations and Conflict Resolution at the Hankamer School of Business Baylor University and is a coach for Texas A&M School of Law advocacy programs. He also serves as an editor for the American Bar Association s Non-Profit section and serves on the national committee. Judge Wright has been admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. He is licensed as an attorney-at-law and counselor in the Texas Supreme Court and Missouri Supreme Court. Mr. Wright has been admitted to the Eastern Federal District of Missouri, the Western Federal District of Texas, and the Northern Federal District of Texas. Judge Wright was recognized as the 2011 American Bar Association s Outstanding Young Non- Profit Lawyer of the Year. In 2017, Judge Wright was awarded the Texas A&M Public Interest

12 Fellowship for his work in reforming rural courts. Mr. Wright was inducted into The National Order of Barristers, the legal honor society. He studied conflict resolution and negotiations at Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, with Hamline University School of Law. He has attended the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government's Program on Leadership for Senior Executives. Prior to his legal career, Mr. Wright served as the Vice-President for Philanthropy and Operations for the Scott & White Healthcare Foundation and formerly served as the interim President & Chief Executive Officer for the Scott & White Healthcare Foundation.