TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER FACULTY ROSTER

Transcription

1 TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER FACULTY ROSTER Regional Clerks Seminar Janet Blacklock Matthews Judge Wilson P.O. Box 22 Wilson, TX Jaime Brew Assistant Director of Finance & Court Services Sugar Land PO Box 110 Sugar Land, TX Courtney Broussard Clerk Woodville 400 W Bluff St Woodville, TX court@woodville tx.gov Robby Chapman Director of Clerk Education & Program Attorney TMCEC 2210 Hancock Drive Austin, TX chapman@tmcec.com Christina Dahse Willis 200 North Bell Willis, TX cdahse@ci.willis.tx.us Elizabeth De La Garza TxDOT Grant Administrator TMCEC 2210 Hancock Drive Austin, TX elizabeth@tmcec.com April Earley Presiding Judge Lufkin P.O. Drawer 190 Lufkin, TX aearley@cityoflufkin.com Matthew Freeman Frisco 6865 Main St Frisco, TX mfreeman@friscotexas.gov Esmeralda Garcia Associate Presiding Judge Houston 1400 Lubbock St, Rm 214 Houston, TX esmeralda.garcia@houstontx.gov Mark Goodner Deputy Counsel and Director of Judicial Education TMCEC 2210 Hancock Drive Austin, TX goodner@tmcec.com Victoria Jaramillo Medley Amarillo PO Box 1366 Amarillo, TX victoria.medley@amarillo.gov Fawn Mackey Sealy PO Box 517 Sealy, TX fmackey@ci.sealy.tx.us Ashley McSwain Prosecutor Murphy 206 N Murphy Rd Murphy, TX ashley@txmunicipallaw.com Ned Minevitz TxDOT Grant Administrator & Program Attorney TMCEC 2210 Hancock Drive Austin, TX ned@tmcec.com Tammy Odom Texas City th Ave N Texas City, TX todom@texas city tx.org Melissa Pace Client Liaison/Business Development Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins and Mott LLP 6716 Lyndale Drive Watauga, Tx mpace437@yahoo.com Kimberly Piechowiak Domestic Violence Resource Attorney Office of Court Administration P.O. Box Austin, TX kim.piechowiak@txcourts.gov

2 Pat Riffel Friendswood 1600 Whitaker Dr Friendswood, TX James Rodgers Chief Judge Fort Worth 1000 Throckmorton St Fort Worth, TX Jude Schexnyder TxDOT Traffic Safety Specialist TxDOT Charles Spain Associate Judge Houston 504 Branard St. Houston, TX Gary Teeler Instructor Focus on Reducing Impaired Driving Among Youth Bonnie Townsend Presiding Judge Luling 509 E Crockett St Luling, TX BTownsend@cityofluling.net

3 2210 Hancock Drive, Austin, Texas fax FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES JANET BLACKLOCK MATTHEWS Jan Blacklock Matthews is municipal judge for the City of Wilson (appointed 2011). She an attorney and trained mediator in civil, criminal and USDA matters. She served as a Municipal Judge for the City of Lubbock (elected 1994 and 1998, appointed ). Judge Matthews has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Sul Ross State University and her Juris Doctorate from Texas Tech University School of Law. Prior to becoming judge, she held the position of Assistant District Attorney and Misdemeanor Chief for the Lubbock County District Attorney s Office. Matthews is the Region I director for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center and the Texas Municipal Courts Association. JAIME BREW Jaime Brew is the Municipal for the Sugar Land Municipal Court. She has worked in municipal courts for over nine years. Prior to working for the Sugar Land Municipal Court, Mrs. Brew was employed by the Killeen Municipal Court of Record. During her tenure at City of Killeen she held the positions of Clerk of the Court and the Compliance/Collections Manager. Jaime has a very diverse work history. She has previously worked in the areas of mortgage lending, finance, and banking. Mrs. Brew received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. She also received her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. Jaime participated in the Texas Court Clerks Certification Program and became a Certified Municipal Court Clerk (CMCC) in In August 2016 she became an ICM Certified Court Manager. Mrs. Brew is a member of the Texas Court Clerks Association (TCCA) and serves as a Director at Large on the TCCA Board of Directors. She also serves as the Certification Program Financial Manager for the TCCA Education Committee. Jaime participates in several TCCA State committees such as the Certification and Education, Membership, Public Relations, Publications, and Website. COURTNEY BROUSSARD Courtney Broussard, CCC II, is a court clerk for the City of Woodville. She has held this position since January 2015, in which time she has achieved level II certification and is currently working towards level Ill certification. She is also a member of the Texas Court Clerk's Association. ROBBY CHAPMAN Robby Chapman is the Presiding Judge for the City of Rollingwood and Director of Clerk Education for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Mr. Chapman earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary s University School of Law and Bachelor of Arts in History from The University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Chapman has served as Assistant District Attorney for Nueces County, Municipal Prosecutor for the City of Cedar Park, and as a defense attorney. In his role as Director of Clerk Education, Mr. Chapman directs twelve annual continuing education programs for court clerks and regularly speaks on legal issues throughout Texas. Current publications include the fifth and sixth editions of both the Green Book and the Court Clerk Study Guide. For his work in court clerk education, Mr. Chapman received the Outstanding Achievement in Education Award from the Texas Court Clerks Association in 2017.

4 CHRISTINA DAHSE Christina Dahse began her career in Walker County in 1997 as the financial deputy for the County Clerk, and later promoted to the Sheriff s Department to oversee all property and evidence relating to criminal offenses. Ms. Dahse was then recruited by veteran Huntsville Municipal Pat Graham in It was in Huntsville that Christina began her journey in the municipal court realm. In September of 2005 Ms. Dahse was asked by Willis Municipal Judge Jude Joe Kroll to fill the vacancy of his Municipal. Ms. Dahse achieved her level I certification in December 2006, her level II in April of 2008, and became the 67 th Certified Municipal Court Clerk in October of In 2014 Christina was honored to be asked to participate with TMCEC & The National Center for State Courts Institute for Court Management program, and graduated in August of 2016 at our States s capital in Austin with the title of Certified Court Manager. Ms. Dahse currently serves as a prep session facilitator, and on a TCCA Education review subcommitte. 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. APRIL EARLEY April Earley is the first full-time Municipal Court Judge for the City of Lufkin. Earley obtained a Bachelor of Communications degree from Texas Southern University in 2004 and went on to earn her Juris Doctorate in May 2008 from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas. While attending law school, April was a judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Mike Wood, Harris County Probate Court Number 2. She also served as a student attorney for the Earl Carl Institute. April returned to Lufkin in 2008 and joined the staff of the Haglund Law Firm as an Associate Attorney, practicing as a trial attorney in criminal, family, immigration and general civil law. MATTHEW FREEMAN Matthew Freeman is the for the City of Frisco. He is a Level II Certified Court Clerk and is currently working toward his Level III Certification. Mr. Freeman has a Master of Public Administration in Local Government Management and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of North Texas. Mr. Freeman is also involved with the North Texas Chapter of the Texas Court Clerks Assocation, where he has been a member since Mr. Freeman is a Board Member, Director at Large for the North Texas Chapter, and a TCCA Education Committee member. He has been married to his wonderful wife since 2000 and has two kids. ESMERALDA PEÑA GARCIA Judge Esmeralda Essie Peña Garcia is currently the Associate Presiding Judge of the City of Houston Municipal Courts, assisting the Presiding Judge in Judicial Operations and supervision of the full-time judges. Judge Garcia began her 30-year judicial career in 1987, first as an Associate Judge, then, in 2000,

5 was appointed a full-time Judge. She presided over a Jury Trial Court for eight years prior to her recent appointment. She received her BA from the University of Houston and Doctorate in Jurisprudence from the University of Houston Law Center in As an attorney in private practice, Judge Garcia specialized in Criminal and Juvenile defense. Prior to law school, Judge Garcia worked as an investigative social worker on the Abuse Team for Harris County Children s Protective Services. Judge Garcia has served on the TMCA and TMCEC Board of Directors since 2012, and currently serves as First Vice-President of both organizations. Judge Garcia is involved with many professional and community organizations. She has volunteered with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for 19 years and earned Lifetime Committeeman in Judge Essie Garcia is a native Houstonian and mother of three children. 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 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 VICTORIA JARAMILLO MEDLEY Victoria Jaramillo Medley is currently the for the City of Amarillo. Ms. Medley received a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters in Public Administration from Northern Arizona University. Ms. Medley has completed Level 2 of the Clerk Certification program and is a Certified Court Manager through the Institute of Court Management. Ms. Medley has been in her current position as the since Prior to becoming the for the City of Amarillo, Ms. Medley worked for Bernalillo County Juvenile Probation in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Randall County Juvenile Probation in Amarillo, Texas. She was an officer specializing in serious offenders. Ms. Medley was originally hired by the City of Amarillo in 1990 to serve as the first Teen Court Coordinator for the City of Amarillo and was responsible for designing and implementing one of the first Teen Court Programs in Texas. FAWN MACKEY Fawn Mackey is the for the City of Sealy and has been employed there since Fawn has been a member of the Texas Court Clerks Association for 13 years and is a member of the Gulf Coast Chapter where she has served as Secretary and Historian. Fawn received the Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Municipal Courts Association in 2006 and the Extraordinary Achievement Award in Fawn also received the Excellence in Service award from the City of Sealy in 2005 and the Employee Choice award in Fawn became a Certified Municipal Court Clerk in May of 2010 and a Certified Court Manager in She has been married 17 years to husband, Jason Mackey. They have one grandson and three beautiful children, daughter Devin and son s Jarren, and Jason.

6 ASHLEY MCSWAIN Ashley McSwain is a former court clerk who now has a law degree. Ashley worked for the City of Van Alstyne as the for 10 years while she attended law-school part-time. She transitioned to role of Municipal Court Prosecutor and assistant city attorney after becoming a licensed attorney. Recently, she left her position in Van Alstyne to became an associate attorney with Messer, Rockefeller, & Fort in Frisco, but remains the Municipal Court Prosecutor for the City of Van Alstyne and also prosecutes for the City of Bells. Ashley has a bachelor s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Phoenix and earned her law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law. Prior to becoming an attorney, Ashley won 3 awards through the Texas Court Clerks Association and held a level II court clerk certification. Ashley current lives in the DFW area with her husband, her son, and her three step sons. 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 Everthin, LLC, a startup company based in Massachusetts. 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. TAMMY ODOM Tammy Odom is the for the City of Texas City. Tammy has been working in the Municipal Courts since She is currently a member of the Texas Municipal Courts Association, Immediate Past President of the Texas Court Clerks Association and Past-President of the TCCA - Gulf Coast Chapter. She has been the recipient of the Texas Court Clerks Association s Distinguished Service Award (2005), Extraordinary Achievement Award (2006) and the Excellence Award (2007). She was also named Clerk of the Year in 2007 by the TCCA Gulf Coast Chapter. In 2002, Ms. Odom earned her Certified Court Clerk Level II. MELISSA PACE Melissa Pace was raised in the Texas Panhandle and graduated with Valedictorian honors from Floydada High School. She moved to the metroplex soon thereafter to attend college and learn how to drive in a lot of traffic. She graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington with a Bachelor in Business Administration. The Haltom City Municipal Court was her home for 17 years in which she was employed as the. In addition, she served as the chair for the North Texas Chapter Education committee for several years and on the TCCA board as a director at large and secretary. She is excited to be continuing to learn and teach as well as maintain her Level II certification. She currently works for the Law Firm of Perdue. KIMBERLY PIECHOWIAK Kimberly Piechowiak is the Domestic Violence Training Attorney for the Texas Office of Court Administration. 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 domestic 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 TCLEOSE Certified Police Instructor who

7 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 Victim Services Association. PAT RIFFEL Pat Riffel, CMCC, is the for the City of Friendswood. She has a Bachelor s Degree in Political Science and is a Licensed Social Worker. She joined the court clerk profession in December She is a Level III, Certified Municipal Court Clerk. She has also achieved status as a Certified Court Manager through the National Institute of Court Management. She currently serves as faculty for both the Texas Municipal Court Education Center and National Center for State Courts. Pat is a member of the Texas Court Clerk s Association and serves as Co-Chair of the Education Committee, and Chair of the Ethics Committee. DANNY RODGERS Danny Rodgers was born and reared in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas. He is a Graduate of Eastern Hills High School, Baylor University, and Baylor School of Law. Mr. Rodgers currently serves as Deputy Chief Judge of the Fort Worth Municipal Court. He is the husband of Jill Rodgers and the proud father of son, Matthew, 30, a 2007 and 2012 graduate of Baylor University who is married to Sarah, (Baylor 2007) and daughter, Caitlin, 27, a 2010 graduate of Baylor University and a 2012 graduate of the American University of Paris, France. Mr. Rodgers is also the proud grandfather of Grayson Matthew Rodgers and Rhett William Rodgers and a member of the Breakfast Optimist Club of East Fort Worth, where he has maintained perfect attendance for 28 years. Mr. Rodgers served as the President of Optimist International, and his hobbies including reading, backpacking in the wilderness, and yoga. Danny and Jill are active members of Christ Chapel Bible Church, Fort Worth, Texas. JUDE SCHEXNYDER Mr. Schexnyder is the Motorcycle Safety Program Manager for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and is based in Austin. Prior to joining TxDOT in 2015, Mr. Schexnyder was a Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol Officer for 30 years. An avid motorcyclist, Mr. Schexnyder rides 20,000-25,000 miles per year, has served as Chairman of the Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition for five years, and has served as an expert witness in many motorcycle crash cases. CHARLES SPAIN Charles A. Spain has been an associate judge for the City of Houston since He served as a staff attorney for the Texas appellate courts for 23 years before retiring in He is a graduate of Baylor Law School and Rice University, a founder and past chair of the State Bar of Texas LGBT Law Section, a Baden-Powell Fellow of the World Scout Foundation, an Eagle Scout, and the father of a Life Scout (which means an involuntary return to camping, backpacking, and riding horses). His hobby is flags, and he is both an Admiral of the Texas Navy and a recipient of the Texas Historical Commission s Award for Historic Preservation for his work on the history of the flags and seals of Texas. Since 1997 he has served as the elected Secretary-General of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations ( vexillology being the fancy word for studying flags). He is board certified in civil appellate law.

8 GARY TEELER Gary Teeler started his career with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in He has served in various capacities, including as an Academy Instructor and a Program Manager at the TPWD State Headquarters. Mr. Teeler currently serves as an adjunct instructor for the Texas Municipal Court Education Center (TMCEC), Texas Justice Court Training Center (TJCTC), and the Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA). He is also an adjunct instructor at South University, teaching Criminal Justice courses. Mr. Teeler has received criminal investigations training in the following areas: criminal personality profiling, human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, cyber crimes, digital forensics and Investigative hypnosis. Gary received his TCOLE Instructor Certification in 2001 and his Master Peace Officer license in In 2012, he earned the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential, and in 2013, he earned the Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) credential. He serves as a peer reviewer for the Department of Justice s grant programs. Mr. Teeler currently serves as the President of the Midwest Association of Fish and Game Law Enforcement Officers (AMFGLEO), along with serving as the Chair of the Technology Committee. He also serves on the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Environmental Crimes Committee. He is a member of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement s (TCOLE) Curriculum Committee. He is a member of the Executive Council of the Texas Interoperable Communications Coalition (TXICC). He serves on the International Public Safety Association s (ISPA) Emerging Technology Committee. He also serves on the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force. In 1994, he graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos with a Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Law Enforcement. In 2009, he received his LCC Designation from the Leadership Command College at Sam Houston State University. In 2011, he received his Masters of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management, from Sam Houston State University. In 2014, he graduated from the 256th Session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico Virginia. BONNIE TOWNSEND Bonnie Townsend comes to us with 24 years of court experience. She began her career in the Justice of the Peace Courts as a part time clerk in After 3 years, she was hired on as a full time clerk and served the Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, in Caldwell County for another 5 years, as the Chief Court Clerk. In 1998, Bonnie was the first woman to be elected to the position of Justice of the Peace in Caldwell County, and served Precinct 3 in that capacity until the end of During her time with the JP Courts, Bonnie was an active member of the Justice of the Peace and Constables Association. Bonnie was hired as the for the City of Lockhart in September 2002 and in 2008 was also appointed as the Associate Judge for the court. Bonnie has served on the Merchandise Committee for TCCA and the Membership Committee for TMCA. She remains active in the Freedom Trail Chapter of TCCA in an advisory capacity. She achieved her Level III certification in 2006 and is a Certified Municipal Court Clerk. In 2010, Bonnie successfully completed the Institute for Court Managements Court Manager Program and in 2012; she became a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management, graduating at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.