TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER FACULTY ROSTER Regional Clerks Seminar

Courtney Acklin Artin DerOhanian Eric Ransleben Court Administrator Senior Associate Attorney Associate Judge Palestine Law Office of Ryan Henry Trophy Club 504 N Queen St Law Office of Ryan Henry 1380 1 Trophy Wood Drive Trophy Club, Palestine, TX 75801-2733 Pantheon Way, #110 TX 76262 903.731.8420 San Antonio, TX 78232 682.237.2990 [email protected] 210.257.6357 [email protected] [email protected] Janet Blacklock Matthews Pat Riffel Judge Julie Escalante Court Administrator Wilson Presiding Judge Friendswood P.O. Box 22 Baytown 1600 Whitaker Dr Wilson, TX 79381 3120 N. Main St. Friendswood, TX 77546 806.628.6221 Baytown, TX 77521-4110 281.996.3212 [email protected] 281.425.1015 [email protected] [email protected] Robby Chapman Danny Rodgers Director of Clerk Education & Mark Goodner Chief Judge Program Attorney Deputy Counsel and Director of Fort Worth TMCEC Judicial Education 1000 Throckmorton St. 2210 Hancock Drive TMCEC Fort Worth, TX 76102-6312 Austin, TX 78756 2210 Hancock Drive 817.392.6715 [email protected] Austin, TX 78756 [email protected] [email protected] Hilda Cuthbertson Jude Schexnyder Judge Victoria Jaramillo Medley TxDOT Traffic Safety Specialist Snook Court Administrator TxDOT 10245 FM 2155 Rd. Amarillo 512.832.7035 Snook, TX 77878 PO Box 1366 [email protected] 979.272.3021 Amarillo, TX 79105-1366 [email protected] 806.378.9342 Charles Spain [email protected] Associate Judge Elizabeth De La Garza Houston TxDOT Grant Administrator Ned Minevitz 504 Branard St. TMCEC TxDOT Grant Administrator & Houston, TX 77006-5018 2210 Hancock Drive Program Attorney 713.247.5464 Austin, TX 78756 TMCEC [email protected] 512.320.8274 2210 Hancock Drive [email protected] Austin, TX 78756 Ofcr. Curtis Whitener 512.320.8274 El Paso Police Academy [email protected] 2300 Scenic Drive El Paso, Texas 79930 Kimberly Piechowiak 915.212.5746 Office Domestic Violence Resource [email protected] Attorney Office of Court Administration P.O. Box 12066 Austin, TX 78711 512.936.6390 [email protected]

2210 Hancock Drive, Austin, Texas 78756 512.320.8274  800.252.3718  fax 512.435.6118

FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES

COURTNEY ACKLIN

Courtney Acklin is the Court Administrator for the City of Palestine Municipal Court. Ms. Acklin earned her certification as a Level III Certified Municipal Court Clerk in 2014. She is pursuing certification through the National Center for State Court’s Institute for Court Management and expects to become a Certified Court Manager in Fall 2016. Ms. Acklin is an active member of the Texas Court Clerks Association (TCCA) and currently serves on the Education Committee.

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 1998-2011). 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.

ROBBY CHAPMAN

Robby Chapman serves as Presiding Judge for the cities of Manor and Rollingwood, and is Director of Clerk Education for TMCEC. Mr. Chapman earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary’s University School of Law and Bachelor of Arts 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 all annual continuing education programs for court clerks, develops clerk education curriculum, and regularly speaks on legal issues throughout Texas. For his work in court clerk education, Mr. Chapman received the Outstanding Achievement in Education Award from the Texas Court Clerks Association in 2017.

HILDA CUTHBERTSON

Hilda Cuthbertson grew up in Pearsall, Texas and graduated from Sul Ross State University (Alpine, Texas) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Ms. Cuthbertson taught High School Science classes for five and half years at three different Texas school districts.

Ms. Cuthbertson joined the City of Bryan in March of 1983 as an employee of the City Secretary’s office and was promoted to Court Administrator in July 1985. Ms. Cuthbertson retired from the City of Bryan with over 31 years of service. Over 28 years of her service was as the Court Administrator.

She has joined the Alan Bojorquez Law Firm as known as “Texas Municipal Lawyers” and is the Court Program Director. Ms. Cuthbertson and her attorney partner provide educational seminars/training, auditing/validations and court consulting. Additionally, she has recently been appointed as the Presiding Judge for the city of Snook, Texas.

She is a Certified Municipal Court Clerk II and a State of Texas Licensed Court Interpreter in Spanish.

In February 2010, she successfully completed the National Center for State Courts, Institute for Court Management Program and achieved the status of Certified Court Manager. In June 2012 she earned the Court Executive certification which is a step towards earning the designation of a Fellow. In May of 2013, she graduated at the United States Supreme Court as a “Fellow” of the National Center for State Courts, Institute for Court Management, a prestigious national certification program equivalent to a master’s degree program.

Ms. Cuthbertson has served in a variety of position for TMCA, TCCA and TML since 1985. Ms. Cuthbertson has been a valued staff member of the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center since 1991 by contributing her skills and talents by teaching various subjects. She is a past member of the TCCA Education Committee, which oversees the statewide court clerk certification program. She currently serves as the Secretary for the Texas Municipal Courts Association.

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 2015. 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.

ARTIN DEROHANIAN

Artin DerOhanian is the senior associate attorney with the Law Offices of Ryan Henry in San Antonio. His practice areas include counseling municipalities and governmental entities, including litigation and prosecution. His also has a background in business litigation, legal malpractice, civil appeals, family law, and criminal matters. Artin practiced law in California for six years before he moved to Texas with his wife in 2014.

JULIE ESCALANTE

Julie K. Escalante is the Presiding Judge for the City of Baytown. Prior to being appointed as the full time judge, she was the prosecuting attorney for the City of Baytown. She has had an active career in both the non-profit and public sectors of the law. Judge Escalante is currently serving as a board member on the Texas Municipal Courts Association representing Region IX, where she serves on both the education and nominating committees. She is an active board member for the Baytown Kiwanis Club and actively participates in her local Domestic Violence Task Force.

Judge Escalante was born in San Antonio Texas and grew up in the Houston area. She attended Texas Tech University where she received her B.A. degree. In 1990, she received her Law degree from Southwestern University in Los Angeles, California. She currently resides in the Clear Lake area, with her 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 2016. 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 2007.

VICTORIA JARAMILLO MEDLEY

Victoria Jaramillo Medley is currently the Court Administrator 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 Court Administrator since 2002.

Prior to becoming the Court Administrator 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.

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, 2013. 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.

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 1992. 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 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.

ERIC RANSLEBEN

Eric G. Ransleben is an Associate Municipal Judge for the Town of Trophy Club and the Town of Westlake. Judge Ransleben has been in private practice since 1996, and specializes in criminal and juvenile defense, and education law. He has been representing school age children in the public school system for over 10 years, with particular interest in special education law.

PAT RIFFEL

Pat Riffel, CMCC, is the Court Administrator 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 2002. 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 2010 – 2011 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 2010. He served as a staff attorney for the Texas appellate courts for 23 years before retiring in 2013. 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.

CURTIS WHITENER

Officer Curtis Whitener is a 26-year member of the El Paso Police Department. He is assigned to the El Paso Police Academy and is a member of the Crisis Management Team. He began his law enforcement career in 1984 when assigned to Ft. Bliss, TX as a young enlisted military police officer. While at Ft. Bliss, he traveled extensively into the northern areas of Chihuahua learning much about the language and cultures.

After serving his 3-year enlistment, he began his education in North Carolina. Curtis earned a BS in Human Services (1991) at Gardner-Webb University with a minor in criminal justice. In 1992, Curtis was hired by the El Paso Police department. He was given the responsibility of being a field-training officer with only 1-year of experience. Curtis trained many members of the El Paso Police Department during his 10-years of patrol experience.

From 1992-2002 Curtis was assigned to work as a community-service officer. He was very active in the reduction of repeat patrol calls, especially false residential burglary alarms. Curtis collaborated with members of law enforcement and private security, which resulted in a new and progressive municipal alarm ordinance.

In 2012, Curtis was invited to serve as a staff member with the in-service section of the El Paso Police Academy. Curtis initiated an Educational Based Discipline program for the department where department members can elect training in place of suspension or arbitration for administrative violations. Curtis became very active with mandatory department training for in-service members. He created courses in cognitive based behavior change, the biology of emotional survival, canine encounters with police (reducing shootings of pets by nearly 80%), and courses in communication, ethics, and resiliency. Curtis’s current verbal de-escalation course titled, “Communication, More Talk Isn’t the Answer” will soon be instituted in the Texas Basic Peace Officer Course and taught by Texas police academies across the state as a 16-hour Verbal Communication/Public Interaction Course.

Curtis firmly believes emotional wellness and communication skills are directly connected to every element of an officer’s life, both on and off duty. He received the El Paso Police Department’s John Lanahan Award in 2018 for his initiatives with officer emotional wellness. In fact, the El Paso Police Department was most likely the first law enforcement agency in Texas to address officer emotional wellness in training, this according to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Education (TCOLE). Curtis was also recognized by the Military Order of World Wars as the recipient of the 2018 Law Enforcement Innovation Award. Curtis is a father of three teenagers. He as a passion for kayaking (owns 5-kayaks), watching his children surf, dog training, and bicycling.