Governance

EMERITUS BOARD

Philamena Baird
Community Volunteer

Michael Maher
Presenture, LLC

David Roylance
Prism Energy Solutions

Jeffrey Starke, M.D.
Texas Children’s Hospital

Robert Zincke
Former President, Kroger

LAW ADVISORY BOARD (LAB)

CHILDREN AT RISK’s Law Advisory Board oversees the research and advocacy efforts of the Public Policy and Law Center. Comprised of over forty dedicated attorneys from across Texas, the board meets on a quarterly basis to discuss current issues affecting Texas’ children and the possible legal solutions to address these issues. The guidance and legal expertise provided by the Law Advisory Board has helped CHILDREN AT RISK to achieve legislative victories on human trafficking, education, juvenile justice, and health issues. With the support of the Law Advisory Board, CHILDREN AT RISK will continue to employ the law and advocacy as tools to improve the quality of life for Texas’ children.

Bruce Hurley, Co-Chair
King & SpaldingLLP

Jennifer Tomsen, Co-Chair
Greenberg Traurig LLP

Wafa Abdin
Catholic Charities

Bob Baker
Attorney at Law

Sherie Beckman
Mithoff Law Firm

Christopher Borrecca
Thompson and Horton LLP

Melanie D. Bragg
Legal Insight Inc.

Andrea Backsheider Burridge, Ph.D.
University of Houston

Katherine Cabaniss
Judge of the 248th Criminal District Court of Harris County

Kate Champion
Exxon Mobil Corporation

Judie Cross
Patient Care Intervention Center

Will Denham
Attorney at Law

Dennis Duffy
Baker Botts LLP

Linda M. Dunson
Donovan & Watkins

Joshua Farkas
Dynegy Inc.

Sally Green
Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University

Lauren Harrison
Jones Walker

Eyvette Hetherington
Attorney at Law

James Holtz
Holtz Law Firm PC

George Jordan
Fullbright & Jaworski LLP

Ellyn Josef
Vinson & Elkins LLP

Karyl M. Lawson
Attorney at Law, Retired

Susan Lindberg
Eni Petroleum Co., Inc.

Karen Maston
Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP

John Meredith
SpringSpirit

Silvia Mintz
Plake and Mintz PLLC

Susan Pennebaker, Esq.
Pennebaker Fifth Ring

Yohanna Romero Baca
Garza & Associates

Lynn Sessions
Baker Hostetler

Lisa Sherrill
Attorney at Law

Ann Stephens
Shell Oil Company

Andrew Strong
Kalon Biotherapeutics LLC

Angie Truitt
Collier Legal

CHILDREN AT RISK INSTITUTE

The CHILDREN AT RISK Institute is an academically oriented policy and research collaborative focused on facilitating research and scholarship to promote new and innovative public policy solutions to the challenges faced by children.

Jayna Dave, PhD
Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine

Angelo P. Giardino, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Director, Texas Children’s Health Plan
Clinical Professor, Baylor College of Medicine

Christopher Greeley, M.D., FAAP
Associate Professor, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston

Deanna Hoelscher, Ph.D.
Director, The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, Professor at UT School of Public Health

Stephen L. Klineberg, Ph.D.
Professor, Rice University

Quianta Moore, M.D., J.D.
Scholar in Health Policy, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy 

Rebecca Pfeffer, Ph. D
University of Houston-Downton

Jean Raphel, MD, MPH
Baylor College of Medicine
Texas Children’s Hospital

Cathy L. Rozmus, Esq.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Texas Health Science Center- Houston

Steve Schnee, Ph.D
Executive Director, Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD

Ruth SoRelle, M.P.H.
Chief Science Editor, Baylor College of Medicine

Whitney Stewart, PhD.
Assistant Professor, UT Dallas

Lori Taylor, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Bush School of Government and Public Service Texas A&M University