TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER FACULTY ROSTER Regional Attorney Judges Seminar Abilene June 8 10, 2015 Robert Barfield Judge City of El Lago 609 Bradford Avenue Kemah, TX 77565 713.941.1329 robert@barfieldlawfirm.com Shawn Baxter Sergeant Texas Department of Public Safety shawn.baxter@dps.texas.gov Robby Chapman Director of Clerk Education and Program Attorney Austin, TX 78756 chapman@tmcec.com David Garza Bee Cave 4000 Galleria Parkway Austin, TX 78738 512.767.6630 dgarzalaw@gmail.com Carol Gauntt Weatherford PO Box 255 Weatherford, TX 76086 817.598.4120 cgauntt@weatherfordtx.gov Mark Goodner Deputy Counsel and Director of Judicial Education Austin, TX 78756-2509 goodner@tmcec.com Dana Jacobson City of Fair Oaks Ranch 7286 Dietz Elkhorn Road Fair Oaks Ranch, TX 78006 210.698.0900 dana.jacobson@jacobsonlawsa.com Stewart Milner Arlington Division: JUD PO Box 90403, MS 63-0200 Arlington, TX 76004-3403 817.459.6980 Stewart.Milner@arlingtontx.gov Ned Minevitz Program Attorney & TxDOT Grant Administrator Austin, TX 78756 ned@tmcec.com Kimberly Piechowiak Domestic Violence Resource Attorney Office of Court Administration P.O. Box 12066 Austin, TX 78711 512.936.6390 kim.piechowiak@txcourts.gov Danny Rodgers City of Fort Worth 1000 Throckmorton Fort Worth, TX 76102-6312 817.392.6715 danny.rodgers@fortworthtexas.gov Charles Spain Houston 504 Branard St. Houston, TX 77006-5018 713.247.5464 cspain@ricealumni.net Edward Spillane College Station PO Box 9960 College Station, TX 77842-7960 979.764.3850 espillane@cstx.gov Ryan Kellus Turner General Counsel and Director of Education Austin, TX 78756 rturner@tmcec.com Stephen Vigorito Austin PO Box 2135 Austin, TX 78768-2135 512.974.4842 stephenvigorito@yahoo.com
, Austin, Texas 78756 800.252.3718 fax 512.435.6118 FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES ROBERT BARFIELD Robert J. Barfield was born and raised in Pasadena, Texas. He is a graduate from Harvard College (1991) and the University of Houston Law Center (1993). He currently maintains a criminal defense practice focusing on Class C misdemeanors. Mr. Barfield is a Municipal Judge in the City of El Lago. He also serves as a Prosecutor for the Texas City Municipal Court. SHAWN BAXTER Sergeant Baxter has been in law enforcement for 16 years and has served as a Trooper, Field Training Officer, Safety Education Trooper and the Department s Public Information Officer for the El Paso District / Region 4. He holds a Master level certification from TCOLE and is a TCOLE certified instructor. He has regularly provided education and training to Middle School, High School and college aged students on the dangers of underage drinking, DWI and binge drinking. He has also been involved with MADD and Extreme Youth Leadership for the past 10 years and has served as a training coordinator for their statewide leadership camps. He has also developed a regional commercial driving program along with the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement section of his Department that focuses on truck traffic and impaired driving. Sergeant Baxter has recently been promoted and is now supervising Highway Patrol Troopers in Presidio and Jeff Davis Counties. ROBBY CHAPMAN Robby Chapman is Director of Clerk Education and Program Attorney for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. In this role, he plans, develops, and manages nine Regional Clerks Seminars, two 32 hour New Clerks Seminars, and the annual Court Administrator s Conference. Mr. Chapman has been on the faculty for since 2013 and has presented to municipal judges, prosecutors, and clerks throughout the state. Mr. Chapman previously served as an Assistant District Attorney for Nueces County, Assistant City Attorney for the City of Cedar Park, and a criminal defense attorney. While a prosecutor, Mr. Chapman received the Merit Certification in Municipal Court Prosecution from the Texas City Attorneys Association. He has handled criminal cases ranging from class c misdemeanors to felonies. Mr. Chapman has a Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary s University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in History from The University of Texas at Austin. DAVID GARZA Judge David L. Garza is the Presiding Municipal Court Judge for the City of Bee Cave, Texas. He was first appointed to that position in 2010. Prior to his current position with the City of Bee Cave, Judge Garza served as a City of Austin Municipal Court Judge from 1987 to 1992 and then again from 2003 to 2009. Judge Garza has also served the State of Texas as an Administrative Law Judge for the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) from 1992 to 1993. He has also served as an Assistant District Attorney for Travis County and as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas, where he was Chief of the Foreign Prosecution Unit under then Attorney General, John Cornyn.
Judge Garza received his BA in Psychology from the University of Houston in 1975. He received his JD from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. in 1978 and his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin in 1991. Judge Garza is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Texas-Mexico Bar Association, and the Association of Attorney Mediators. He is a native Texan, having been born and reared in Corpus Christi, Texas and has been a resident of Austin, Texas since 1980. CAROL GAUNTT Carol Gauntt is the for the City of Weatherford. Prior to becoming judge, Carol held the position of Court Administrator for the City of Richland Hills for 10 years. Carol also spent 20 years in the United States Air Force. She holds an Associates Degree in Telecommunications Technology from the Community College of the Air Force and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Education from Wayland Baptist University. Judge Gauntt obtained her Level III Court Clerk Certification in October 2002. She has received numerous honors over the years from both the Air Force and court organizations, including the Texas Municipal Court Association Court Clerk of the Year in 2003. Originally from Eugene, Oregon, she is married to Earl Gauntt of Ft. Worth and they have a combined total of four children. MARK GOODNER Mark Goodner serves as the for the City of Woodcreek and is the Deputy Counsel and Director of Judicial Education for the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Prior to joining the Center, he worked in civil litigation in Austin. Mr. Goodner graduated 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. While in law school, he worked in the mediation clinic, was a finalist in the Thad T. Hutcheson Moot Court Competition, and served on the executive board of Assault & Flattery. DANA JACOBSON Dana D. Jacobson is the managing partner of The Jacobson Law Firm, P.C. in San Antonio, Texas, a general practice firm concentrating in the areas of estate planning and probate, small business formation and counsel, security clearance issues, health law and municipal law. He is the for the Fair Oaks Ranch Municipal Court and the associate judge for the City of Cibolo Municipal Court. Mr. Jacobson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin and his Juris Doctorate from St. Mary s University School of Law in San Antonio. Mr. Jacobson is a Colonel in the USAF Judge Advocate General s Corps Reserve (TJAGCR) and will retire in December after 30 years of active and reserve service. He is presently serving as the Senior Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Staff Judge Advocate, Air Education and Training Command, JBSA Randolph, San Antonio, TX. In this capacity, he serves on the Reserve Executive Council, the senior policy and management entity for TJAGCR. Mr. Jacobson s honors and awards include the 2000 10 th Air Force Judge Advocate of the Year, the 2004 Jim Bowmer Professionalism Award from the College of the State Bar of Texas, of which he is a Fellow, and the 2013 TJAGCR Mentor of the Year Award.
Mr. Jacobson is married to the former Betsy Clark of San Antonio and they have two daughters and a son-in-law. In his spare time, Dana performs regularly around the San Antonio area with a band called On The Side and serves as President of Joebros, Inc., a 501(c)(3) music ministry. 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 1994. 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, 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, squash, and foreign film. KIMBERLY PIECHOWIAK Kimberly Piechowiak is the Protective Order Resource 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, Ms. Piechowiak 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 for 17 years 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 State Bar of Texas Judicial Section, Texas Municipal Courts Education Center, and the Texas Council on Family Violence. 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.
CHARLES SPAIN Charles A. Spain serves as an associate judge for the City of Houston. He worked as 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 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 Tenderfoot Scout (which means an involuntary return to camping). His hobby is flags, and he is 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. EDWARD SPILLANE Edward Spillane is the Presiding Municipal Judge for College Station since May 2002. 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 served as President of the Texas Municipal Courts Association. Judge Spillane currently is the Region VII director on the /TMCA board and represents Texas Municipal Courts on the Judicial Conduct Commission. 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 2014. Mr. Turner is currently Deputy City Attorney for the City of Dripping Springs and has served as a Special Assistant County Attorney for Kendall County. 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. 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. STEPHEN VIGORITO Judge Stephen Vigorito currently serves as an Associate Municipal Judge for the City of Austin. Judge Vigorito received his B.A. in political science from Louisiana State University in 1990 and his Jurisprudence Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law in 1997. He practiced as a criminal defense attorney from 1998-2010 in Travis County and surrounding counties. In addition, during that time, Judge Vigorito served as the legislative liaison and interim Director of Enforcement for the Texas
Cosmetology Commission from 2002-2004 and as the Legislative Director for former State Representative Dora Olivo (Missouri City, Sugarland, Richmond) during the 2009 Texas Legislative Session. From 2010-2013, Judge Vigorito served as a part-time municipal judge for the City of Austin and the City of Tomball, Texas. He was appointed as a fulltime judge for the City of Austin in December, 2013.