Leaders

Gabriella A. ‘Gaby’ Guerena — Chair

Gabriella Guerena of Edinburg is chair and past website and social media chair. She practices criminal law at the Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. More information is available here.

Reagan Boyce — Chair-Elect

Reagan Boyce of Dallas is (i) Chair-Elect, (ii) past Vice-Chair/Membership and (iii) past CLE Committee co-chair.  She primarily practices medical malpractice law, product and premises liability law, intellectual property law, and bankruptcy litigation.  More information is available here.

Carmen Jo “CJ” Rejda- Ponce — Secretary

Carmen Jo ‘CJ’ Rejda-Ponce of Houston is Secretary and a past section council member. She defends both private and public sector clients on matters involving employment issues and civil (constitutional) rights. She is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  More information is here.  More information is here.

Sarah Nicolas — Treasurer

Sarah Nicolas of Austin is Treasurer and past council member. She practices in the areas of ethics-legal malpractice, commercial litigation and personal injury litigation. She is the Managing Member of Ramon Worthington’s Austin office. More information is available here.

Natasha Martinez — Immediate Past Chair

Natasha Martinez of Edinburg is (i) immediate past Chair, (ii) past Secretary, (iii) past Vice-Chair/Membership, (iv) past Treasurer, and (v) past Chronologist.  She practices civil litigation at Orendain & Dominguez Law Office.  More information is available here.

Sylvia Borunda Firth — Vice-Chair, Membership

Sylvia Borunda Firth of El Paso is (i) Vice-Chair/Membership, (ii) past section council member and (iii) past President of the State Bar of Texas.  She specializes in governmental, administrative, real estate and general business law.  More information is available here.

Judge Amber Morgan — Vice Chair, Newsletter

Judge Amber Morgan of Waco is (i) Vice Chair/Newsletter and (ii) a past section council member. She is an Administrative Law Judge and Mediator with the State Office of Administrative Hearings. More information is available here.

Denise Paul — Website and Social Media Chair

Denise Paul of Houston is Website and Social Media Chair and past Chair.  She practices in-house as regional counsel at Jungheinrich.  More information is available here. 

Elizabeth Cantu

Elizabeth Cantu of Edinburg is a council member and (i) past Vice-Chair/Newsletter, (i) past Chair, (ii) past Website and Social Media Chair, (iii) past Annual Meeting Committee co-chair, (iv) a past section council member, and (v) a past Scholarship Committee co-chair. She primarily practices civil litigation at Ramon Worthington, P.L.L.C. More information is available here.

Kirby Drake 

Kirby Drake of Dallas is a council member and  (i) past Chronologist, (ii) past CLE Committee co-chair, and (iii) a past Chair. She primarily practices intellectual property law as founder and managing partner at Kirby Drake Law, PLLC. More information is available here

Stephanie Ibarra

Stephanie Ibarra of Portland is a section council member.  She is a Senior Staff Attorney with Eleventh Court of Appeals. More information is available here.

Laura Kugler 

Laura Kugler of Dallas is a council member and (i) past Treasurer, (ii) past Finance Committee co-chair, (iii) a past Chronologist, and (iv) past Business Development Workshop Committee co-chair, and (v) a National Association of Women Lawyers member.  She primarily practices products, premises, employment, and professional liability litigation as a partner at Thompson Coburn LLP.  More information is available here.

Rosalind Perez

Rosalind Perez of Victoria is a section council member.  She is Owner of Perez Law. More information is available here.

Robin Thorner

Robin Thorner of San Antonio is a section council member. She is the Assistant Dean for Career Strategy and serves as the Director of Professional Identity Formation at the St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. More information is available here.

Jessenia Ruiz

Cindy Tisdale of Waco is a section council member. She is the founder of Law Office of Jessenia A. Ruiz. More information is available here.

Cindy Tisdale

Cindy Tisdale of Granbury is a section council member and past president of the State Bar of Texas. She is a Partner with Goranson Bain Ausley, PLLC. More information is available here.

Deborah Cordova — Emeritus Council Member

Deborah Cordova of Edinburg is an Emeritus Council Member and (i) past Chronologist, (ii) past Secretary, (iii) past Texas Women Lawyers President, and (iv) representative to the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors for medium-sized sections.  She primarily practices real estate, banking, business, estate planning, and probate law as a member of Walsh McGurk Cordova Nixon.  More information is available here.

Leigh Hunt Goodson — Emeritus Council Member

Leigh Hunt Goodson of Tyler is an Emeritus Council Member and  (i) a past section Chair, (ii) section representative to the State Bar President’s Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, (iii) a past section Secretary (iv) President-elect of the East Texas Estate Planning Council and (v) past President of the Smith County Bar Association. Having earned an LL.M. in taxation, she primarily practices trusts & estates and business law as the owner of The Goodson Firm, P.C. More information is available here.

Judy Ney — Emeritus Council Member

Judy Ney of Houston is an Emeritus Council Member and (i) past Finance Committee co-chair, (ii) a past section Chair, (iii) a Barbara Culver Clack Award recipient, (iv) a past Treasurer, and (v) a past representative to the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors for medium-sized sections. She practices workers’ compensation law as an administrative law judge at Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers Compensation. More information is available here.

Deborah Race — Emeritus Council Member

Deborah Race of Tyler is an Emeritus Council Member and (i) a past section Chair, (ii) a Barbara Culver Clack Award recipient, and (iii) a past Smith County Bar Association President. Board-certified in civil appellate law, she primarily practices appellate law as the owner of Deborah Race, Attorney at Law. More information is available here.