I grew up in a family of lawyers, thinking UHLC, the state capital, and the Supreme Court of Texas were my playground. In 2010, I had just moved back to Houston from Virginia and found a job listing through UH for the HBA. It sounded like a good fit for me, and I was right. I started as the Executive Assistant – Events working directly under former E.D. Kay Sim and trained by (now HLRS E.D.) Karen Ramsey. Very quickly, I was promoted to my current position as Director of Projects & Events and HBA leadership trusted me to develop the position and department into what it is today. I’ve served as staff liaison to 22 of the HBA’s committees over my 15 years, typically juggling 17 committees at once. This meant working directly with over 400 HBA members and community liaisons annually to produce over 30 programs and events, in addition to responsibilities outside of committees. I’ve worked under 15 presidents and 3 executive directors and have hired, trained, and directly managed 10 employees and several interns. I genuinely love working with HBA members and enjoy the charitable aspect of the job.
Some of my favorite HBA memories are taking over Rice Stadium for our 1st Fire Team Relay, coordinating a sold-out Annual Dinner where we recognized two classes of 50-year lawyers, helping secure the highest sponsorship amount for the HBA Eikenburg Fun Run, taking large annual checks to Pursuit Center to serve Houston’s IDD community, delivering gifts to low-income families for the holidays, welcoming families to their new habitat home, presenting scholarships to LGBTQ+ students, building a school library, helping foster youth shop for college and work attire, the photos and thank you notes from sending lawyers into schools year after year, helping law students make connections, the excited faces when introducing people to the courthouses, watching students in middle and high school perform mock trials, helping so many people in need with food, clothing, diapers, books, gifts, and more. We’ve done so much good in the community and had fun while doing it. My mom found time to volunteer with me in the community, and I made sure to do the same with my kids, often through HBA volunteer opportunities.
During those COVID work-from-home months, I was instrumental in converting the HBA from fully in-person to operating remotely. Every one of my projects and events were still executed and successful. One result that remains a benefit today is that our committee meetings are hybrid, allowing members who live and work outside of central Houston to participate. I am honored to have led the launching of several new committees from their inception: LGBTQ+, Military & Veterans, Teach Texas, and Wellness. I think the most memorable moments were those where our most challenging projects and events were successful. I’ve lost count of how many school reading programs I’ve coordinated or how many hours I’ve spent coordinating fun runs, but I remember the happy HBA members, school students, and community partners. Of course, working closely with President Daniella Landers to plan 8 service events in one September weekend and another 8 planned for March 28th for the HBA Days of Service this year is unforgettable and a nice way to wrap up my time at the HBA.
My favorite part of the job has been getting to know so many amazing people, many of whom have become lifelong friends, and to my surprise, I also met someone with whom I want to share life. Chase and I are missing our friends and family in Houston, but loving life in Portland, OR. From a distance, we will be celebrating the future success of the HBA and will visit our beloved Houston legal community as often as possible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to my colleagues over the last 15 years and to all the HBA members I’ve worked with.
