My father arrived at the Galveston port in 1909 from Germany. Through hard work as a machinist he became the Civilian in Charge of the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi. I had two sisters. The oldest, Patti, worked as a public school educator, and now works part time in our office. My middle sister had cerebral palsy, was wheel chair bound, and needed special education which guided my mother’s journey to develop school programs for the mentally & physically challenged. Like many Americans, my family was proud when I became the first to graduate from college.

My husband and I have been married for 41 years and law partners for over 25. We believe that learning about different cultures enriches lives and helps gain perspective. We encouraged our children to find ways to improve the world. Our son is an International Economist with OECD-Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. Our daughter is a Population Environment Specialist with World Wildlife Fund, and our son-in-law is a Senior Scientist for Conservation International.

Our extended family is very close. We value diversity and travel extensively. Members of my immediate family speak Spanish, French, Czech, German, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and sign.

I started my career as a Social Worker, and when I decided to become a lawyer, it was natural for me to focus on family law. From the beginning of my legal career, I was drawn to the area of alternative dispute resolution to help families find a more healing process during crisis periods. Later, I taught mediation and other alternative dispute resolution methods as an adjunct professor at University of Houston law school, trained family & civil mediators at the Dispute Resolution Center (DRC), cofounded the Family Mediation Training at DRC, trained peer mediators in the public school, trained graduate students in social work in mediation, and have worked as a collaborative family lawyer.

My personal life has focused on trying to understand and appreciate our diverse community. My social work and legal experience will help me create an environment where litigants have the best opportunity to find alternatives to destructive battles, and families can find avenues to communicate and solve problems. I will listen and make decisions with compassion and respect during these life changing experiences. Family law matters can impact everyone’s life. That’s why it is important to have a say in who represents you on the bench.