Summit Curriculum Committee

The Summit Curriculum Committee, chaired by Judge Brent Carr, advises on speakers and curriculum for the annual Summit. The Committee originally started its work in early 2018 and is composed of representatives from several judicial education agencies, including the Texas Association of Counties (TAC), and the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center (TMCEC), as well as representatives from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA). The Committee works to ensure that the presentation topics promote the JCMH mission and lead the way in this ever-changing legal field.

Committee Members:

• Hon. Brent Carr, Cahair
  Judge, Tarrant County, Criminal Court No. 9
• Hon. Mark Allen
  Judge, Jasper County
• Virginia Brown
  Assistant Professor, Dell Medical School
• Sonja Burns
  Mental Health Advocate
• Hon. Nelda Cacciotti
  Assistant Criminal District Attorney – Mental Health, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office
• Mary Cunningham
  Texas Association of Counties
• Hon. Francisco Dominguez
  Judge, 205th District Court,  El Paso
• Officer Shawn Edwards
  Belton Police Department
• Scott Ehlers
  Special Counsel, Texas Indigent Defense Commission
• Alyse Ferguson
  Of Counsel, Rosenthal Kalabus & Therrian
• Jessica Foreman
  Education Manager, The Texas Justice Court Training Center
• Gilbert Gonzales
  Director, Bexar County Dept. of Behavioral and Mental Health
• Steven Halpert
  Chief, Juvenile Division, Harris Co. Public Defender's Office
• Hon. Yolanda Huff
  Judge, Bexar County Court at Law #2
• Lee Johnson
  Deputy Director, Texas Council of Community Centers
• Hon. Oscar Kazen
  Judge, Bexar County Probate Court #1
• Hon. M. Sue Kurita
  Judge, El Paso County Court at Law No. 6
• Hon. Elizabeth Leonard
  Judge, 238th District Court, Midland County
• Mike Lozito
  Director Judicial Services, Bexar County Pretrial Services
• Hon. Stacey Mathews
  Judge, 277th District Court, Williamson County
• Magdalena Morales-Aina
  Director, El Paso County Community Supervision and Corrections Dept.
• Hon. Roxanne Nelson
  Judge, Burnet County Precinct 1
• Denise Oncken
  Bureau Chief, Harris County District Attorney, Mental Health Bureau
• Lucrece Pierre-Carr
  Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Lee Pierson
  Mental Health Division Chief, Dallas County District Attorney’s Office
• Hon. Susan Redford
  Executive Director, Texas Association of Counties (Re. Judge, Ector Co.)
• Janis Reinken
  Chief Clerk, House Committee on Corrections
• Hon. Renee Rodriguez-Betancourt
  Judge, 449th District Court, Hidalgo County
• Elizabeth Rozacky 
  Texas Municipal Courts Education Center
• Melissa Schank
  Executive Director, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Assoc.
• Prof. Brian Shannon
  Texas Tech University School of Law
• Dr. Jennie Simpson
  Forensic Director, Health and Human Services Commission
• Judge John Specia
  (Ret.) Judge, JCMH Jurist in Residence
• Hon. Charles Stephens
  Judge, Comal County Court at Law #2
• Hon. Ryan Turner
  Executive Director, Texas Municipal Courts Education Center
• Steve Wohleb
  Senior Vice President/General Counsel, Texas Hospital Association

As of October 2023