SPEAKER
BIOGRAPHIES
Krista Anderson
Systemwide Title IX Coordinator, Office of Systemwide Compliance
The University of Texas System
Krista Anderson serves as the Systemwide Title IX Coordinator for The University of Texas System. Ms. Anderson’s responsibilities include providing systemwide guidance and resources on Title IX & Sexual Misconduct, Clery Act requirements, and Youth Protection Programs for minors on campus.
Ms. Anderson has over 13 years of student affairs and higher education experience including overseeing a campus-wide Title IX program, developing victim advocacy services for students, administering a campus-wide crisis management program for student emergencies, managing threat assessment and behavior intervention strategies for student wellness issues, and working in residence life and academic/graduate affairs in additional capacities.
Ms. Anderson previously served as the Associate Vice President and Title IX Coordinator for The University of Texas at Austin, and she was with U.T. Austin for almost 7 years in various roles before joining the U.T. System. Ms. Anderson earned a B.S. in Applied Sociology, and an M.Ed. in Counseling and Guidance (with an emphasis in student affairs), both at Texas State University.
Ross Fischer
Ross Fischer Law
Over 20 years of practicing law, Ross Fischer has earned a wide array of appellations. Along the way, he has developed an expertise in the areas of professional ethics, public law, & campaign finance.
Ross’s experience includes service in numerous capacities:
- General Counsel to the State Bar of Texas, the nation’s second largest bar association.
- Chairman of the Texas Ethics Commission, which regulates the political process, including campaign finance, candidates, officeholders, and lobbyists.
- Chairman of the Legislative and Campaign Section of the State Bar of Texas.
- Clinical professor at The University of Texas School of Law.
- Appointed by the Texas Speaker of the House to serve on the Select Interim Committee to Study Ethics laws.
- Elected to the Board of Directors of the nation’s largest electric distribution cooperative.
- Assistant Chief Disciplinary Counsel for the State Bar of Texas.
- The elected Kendall County Attorney, where he served as both the civil advisor and the misdemeanor prosecutor for one of the fastest growing counties in Texas.
- A municipal judge.
Ross provides legal counsel to elected officials, candidates, trade associations, corporations, political committees, and public entities. Given his expertise in the area of professional ethics, he is often called upon to conduct investigations on behalf of organizational clients.
Ross works on specialized litigation, including the Public Information Act, mandamus actions involving public officials, and election-related matters. Ross has successfully represented clients before both the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Ross is a graduate of St. Edward’s University and The University of Texas School of Law, both in Austin.
The Honorable Maya Guerra Gamble
Judge of the 459th Judicial District Court, Travis County
Judge Maya Guerra Gamble was elected to the 459th District Court bench in 2018. Her varied career prior to taking the bench included a solo practice representing children and parents in child protective services cases; representing whistleblowers at O’Connell & Soifer; prosecuting child pornography and child exploitation cases for the Texas Attorney General; suing companies committing fraud against the United States for the Department of Justice; and clerking for Judge Richard Cudahy on the 7th Circuit.
She serves as a Director to the Austin Bar Association Board and as Chair of the Equity Committee oversaw the Inaugural Equity Summit presented by the Austin Bar. Over her career Judge Guerra Gamble has served on many boards and committees including the Court Appointed Family Attorneys Austin Bar Section Board, the Texas Supreme Court’s Children’s Commission’s Standing Committee on Foster Children and Education, the Travis County Child Welfare Board, the Capitol Area Council Scouting BSA Executive Board, and the Austin High School Continuing Education Fund Board.
She has received many awards including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Law Enforcement Award, the Texas Attorney General’s Merit Award, the United States Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Inspector General’s Cooperative Achievement Award, and the President’s Council on Integrity & Efficiency’s Award for Excellence.
Judge Guerra Gamble is a native Austinite, graduate of Austin High School, Yale College, and Yale Law School, and is married with two teen sons. She is a devoted Scouter, honored to recently receive the Capitol Area Council’s ¡Scouting … Vale La Pena! Service award.
Gregory N. Etzel
Partner
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Gregory N. Etzel is a partner with the Houston office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. Greg concentrates his practice on the representation of hospitals and other healthcare providers in a variety of complex legal transactions and regulatory litigation. Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Greg spent four and a half years in-house as the vice president of legal affairs at The University of Texas Medical Branch, providing legal counsel and representing the entire institution on a wide range of issues involving strategic initiatives, hospital and medical school operations, transactions, litigation management, public information, and international affairs.
Greg also served as the general counsel for Medical Branch Innovations Inc., a nonprofit corporation established and governed by UTMB to pursue public-private partnerships for innovative healthcare solutions.
Greg is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston Law Center.
John W. Petrelli
Partner
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
John W. Petrelli is a partner with the Houston office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. In his broad-based litigation practice, John Petrelli advises clients in the healthcare and energy industries on complex commercial litigation matters often involving highly adverse situations. John prepares litigation and dispute resolution plans in the best interest of his clients to promote effective, efficient, and successful outcomes. He advocates for companies in litigation and pre-litigation matters, strives to address their legal needs and further their business cases, and ensures the protection of their immediate and long-term goals.
John is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston Law Center.
The Honorable Patrick Keel
Patrick Keel, Mediator | Arbitrator
Patrick Keel, a former state district judge, has mediated and arbitrated thousands of disputes, including those involving commercial contracts, construction contracts, employment law, trade secrets, patent, copyright, trademark, real estate, class actions, administrative law, probate, defamation, professional malpractice, family law, and personal injury claims. He is also an adjunct professor in the trial advocacy program at The University of Texas School of Law. In 2009, the Supreme Court of Texas appointed Keel to the Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas. Keel also serves as a Title IX Hearing Officer for The University of Texas at Austin.
After obtaining his B.A. in Economics from The University of Texas and graduating with honors from UT Law School in 1989, Keel practiced commercial litigation for thirteen years with Baker Botts LLP, where he was a partner in the firm’s trial department and hiring partner for the firm’s Austin office.
Keel is a member of the Texas Chapter of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, a sustaining life fellow and trustee of the Texas Bar Foundation, a founding life fellow of the Austin Bar Foundation, a master emeritus and former president of the Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court, and a member of the Association of Attorney-Mediators. Keel is a frequent speaker on mediation, arbitration, and professional ethics. In 2018, he received the Austin Bar Association’s Professionalism Award, sponsored by the Texas Center for Legal Ethics. In 2017, Keel was selected as the UT Law Alumni Association’s Mentor of the Year.
As a lawyer and as a mediator and arbitrator, Keel has been active in Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, a non-profit organization that provides legal services to the poor. He is also an alumnus and former executive-committee member of the Texas Lyceum Association, a non-partisan, non-profit organization devoted to public policy and developing the next generation of leadership in Texas. Keel is a volunteer, former director, and past president of the Dispute Resolution Center, an independent, non-profit organization that provides dispute-resolution services in central Texas.
In 1995, Governor George W. Bush appointed Keel to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, the state agency responsible for setting and enforcing minimum standards for county jails, where he served for seven years. During college, at age 20, Keel was elected to the Lake Travis ISD board of trustees.
Keel is a fifth-generation Austinite and sixth in a family of seven children. His hobbies include trail walking, snow skiing, and water skiing. He is also a decent cook. Keel is a member and volunteer at St. Austin Catholic Church.
Erin Sine
Vice President for Legal Affairs
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Erin Sine is the Vice President for Legal Affairs at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She oversees a team of experienced attorneys, nurse risk managers, and support staff who help advance UT Southwestern’s work and strategic priorities in compliance with all appropriate laws and regulations. As the Chief Legal Officer, Institutional Ethics Officer, and the designated Public Information Official for the University, Erin is responsible for providing guidance to executive leaders, faculty, and staff to ensure UT Southwestern maintains the highest levels of public trust as a state institution.
Erin has expertise in areas that impact a state agency and academic medical center, including constitutional law, education law, sovereign immunity, open records laws, and state and federal whistleblower laws. She is a frequent public speaker on legal topics in higher education, employment, compliance, and risk management.
Erin joined the Office of Legal Affairs in 2010 and was previously the Director/Managing Attorney for General Legal Services. Before joining UT Southwestern, Erin was in private commercial litigation practice. Erin holds a B.A. in English and Communications Studies from Clemson University and a J.D. from Tulane Law School and is licensed to practice law in Texas and Virginia.
Rachel Ehlers
Special Counsel
Baker Botts
Rachel Ehlersis Special Counsel at Baker Botts in Austin, Texas. Her practice focuses on data privacy, cybersecurity, and technology transactions. She has extensive experience advising clients on data incidents and breach response, cross-border transfers, and data privacy and cybersecurity issues related to mergers and acquisitions. She has also advised multiple clients on the use of artificial intelligence, both inside their products and in their organizations.
Rachel served in multiple in-house legal and compliance roles with multi-national companies in the energy, petrochemicals, and electronics manufacturing sectors, including Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer. She has lived and worked overseas throughout Europe, Asia, and South America and has provided guidance and training to multi-national companies globally. She also served as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State, where she did tours in China and Venezuela.
Cristina Blanton
Chief Privacy & Data Protection Officer, Office of Systemwide Compliance
The University of Texas System
Cristina Blanton serves as the Chief Privacy & Data Protection Officer for the U.T. System. In her role of Chief Privacy and Data Protection Officer for the System, Cristina specializes in working with 13 institutions on matters specifically related to data and privacy protection laws including HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), FERPA (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act), and various international regulations and serves as the designated HIPAA Privacy Officer for System Administration’s Office of Employee Benefits. The Office of Employee Benefits administers health benefits for over 200,000 UTS employees and their dependents.
With over 17 years of career experience in advising, collaborating, and providing state and local government entities and officials with an understanding of complex and ever-evolving laws and regulations, Cristina provides specialized training and legal guidance on matters related to privacy and data protection, including SAAS agreement negotiations and other technical contract management and negotiations. Creating policies, guidance, and white papers related to data management, access, responsible use, and privacy awareness is also a focus of Cristina’s practice. Cristina is a Certified Privacy Professional through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Her passion for privacy can be found through her leadership with various privacy advocacy organizations such as EDUCAUSE, serving as co-chair for the Chief Privacy Officers forum, Texas Department of Information Resources’ Data Management Advisory Council, serving as co-chair, and 2021 participant in the development of privacy related components for the NIST Privacy Taxonomy for the NIST Privacy Workforce Public Working Group (PWWG).
Erica Grigg
Staff Attorney
Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program
Erica Grigg is a staff attorney for Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in History from The University of Texas at Austin in 1997. Since receiving her law license from The University of Texas School of Law in 2001, Erica Grigg has worked as a criminal prosecutor, a general counsel in the Texas Legislature, and a civil trial lawyer. In 2018, Erica attended the Academy Awards for her role in an Oscar-nominated documentary based on a civil rights lawsuit in which she was plaintiff’s counsel. In 2016, Erica was honored with the State Bar of Texas Presidential Citation for her efforts in assisting impaired Texas lawyers. Erica is in long-term recovery and an accomplished public speaker on the issues of substance abuse and lawyer wellness.
Kristi Godden
Partner
O'Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo
After graduating from law school at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 2011, Ms. Godden joined the Open Records Division at the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. As an Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Godden’s practice focused on the confidentiality of governmental records under the Texas Public Information Act, as well as federal and state law. In 2016, Ms. Godden joined the law firm of O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo. As a Partner at O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo, Ms. Godden represents a broad range of public entities such as public schools, universities, and municipalities across the state of Texas. Ms. Godden’s practice areas have expanded to include a focus on employment and labor law and employment litigation. Ms. Godden is admitted to practice throughout Texas, and in all federal district courts in Texas and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Priscilla Lozano
Partner
O'Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo
Priscilla Lozano is currently a Partner with the law firm of O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo. She joined the law firm in September 2021 after retiring from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In her current work she represents Texas universities and school districts. Priscilla has worked for the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Pan American University, The University of Texas – Pan American, The University of Texas System, and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In these roles she provided advice and counsel regarding higher education law matters, including employment, student issues and policy development.
Ashley A. Palermo
Managing Legal Officer of People, Education, and Operations
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Ashley A. Palermo is the Managing Legal Officer of People, Education, and Operations at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She provides employment, higher education, and hospital operations counsel regarding M.D. Anderson's 22,000 employees.
Prior to joining MD Anderson in 2019, Ashley served as an Assistant General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at The University of Texas System. She began her career practicing commercial litigation and employment law at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in Atlanta, Georgia, and she later served as the Administrative General Counsel of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal.
Ashley received her Bachelor of Science in Genetics from Texas A&M University and her Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School. She is a frequent national speaker on matters relating to the ADA, workplace investigations, and Title IX compliance.
Darren Gibson
Shareholder, Co-Chair of Higher Education Industry Group
Littler Mendelson P.C.
Darren Gibson is a shareholder and co-chair of Littler’s Higher Education Industry Group. Darren is a zealous advocate and trusted advisor to private businesses and public-sector employers, including colleges and universities, on a range of employment-related matters.
Darren vigorously defends his clients in a range of individual and class action cases, including discrimination and retaliation claims, wage and hour collective actions, and noncompete litigation, among others. Darren loves the courtroom, is not afraid to take cases to trial, and regularly handles appeals. He litigates cases in courts across Texas, and he has argued appeals before the Fifth and Ninth Circuits.
Darren has a particular focus representing higher education institutions. In addition to serving as co-chair of Littler’s Higher Education Industry Group, he is an active member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. Darren’s higher education experience includes representing universities and related individuals in employment and Title IX litigation, and conducting investigations into sexual harassment and sexual misconduct under Title IX. In addition, Darren represents higher education clients in enforcement matters brought by the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights and other federal agencies.
Darren is board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Prior to his return to private practice, Darren served as an assistant attorney general in the General Litigation Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, where he defended state agencies and universities in employment litigation and class actions. Before coming to Texas, Darren was a senior associate in New York City, where his practice focused on securities litigation, internal investigations, and business disputes in the accounting and financial services industries.
Darren is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Harvard Law School.
Nicole LeFave
Associate
Littler Mendelson P.C.
Nicole LeFave is an associate at Littler Mendelson P.C. Nicole concentrates her practice on the Fair Labor Standards Act and wage and hour class and collective action defense. In addition, she advises and defends employers on a variety of wage and hour, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and corporate whistleblower matters. She has experience representing clients at the trial court level, on appeals, in arbitration and in administrative hearings both in Texas and nationwide.
Representative experience:
- Serving as lead associate on mass arbitration of gig-economy misclassification claims involving more than 15,000 claimants
- Defeated a motion for conditional certification in proposed nationwide FLSA collective action against a Fortune 500 company
- Obtained complete summary judgment in favor of employer on single-plaintiff Title VII and FLSA matter
- Successfully defended a jury trial verdict in favor of employer in multiple-plaintiff discrimination case, obtaining affirmance from the Fifth Circuit
Nicole also serves as the Austin office’s pro bono liaison and enjoys finding opportunities to contribute to access to justice, including by advising local nonprofits on employment law matters.
Before joining Littler, Nicole practiced complex business litigation and employment law, representing corporations, nonprofit organizations and individuals on a wide range of matters on both the plaintiff and defense side.
Nicole also served as a law clerk for the Hon. Gregg Costa, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas (now Fifth Circuit) and the Hon. Mark Lane, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Texas.
She received her bachelor's and law degrees from UT Austin.
Justice Brett Busby
Supreme Court of Texas
Brett Busby was appointed to the Supreme Court of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott in February 2019, confirmed unanimously by the Texas Senate, and elected to a full term in November 2020. An experienced appellate litigator, Brett was a partner at the Bracewell firm in Houston and served on the Texas 14th Court of Appeals for six years and on the Texas Multi-District Litigation Panel before joining the Supreme Court.
Brett is a seventh-generation Texan and third-generation Eagle Scout who grew up in Amarillo and Austin. After graduating with high honors from Duke University and Columbia Law School, he served as a law clerk to Justices Byron R. White (Ret.) and John Paul Stevens, U.S. Supreme Court, and Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.
In private practice, Brett argued one case and briefed many others in the U.S. Supreme Court. He also handled dozens of appeals in the Supreme Court of Texas and the federal and state courts of appeals before taking the bench. Super Lawyers Magazine named Brett one of the top 100 lawyers in Texas in 2012, and Chambers and Partners recognized him as a leading Texas appellate lawyer. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a former adjunct professor at The University of Texas Law School, where he taught the U.S. Supreme Court Litigation Clinic.
Brett works to improve the justice system and legal profession. In 2018, his fellow Texas appellate lawyers elected him as Chair of the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section, and the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists named him their Appellate Judge of the Year. He is the Court’s liaison to the Texas Access to Justice Commission and Foundation, which help assure that Texans with limited means have access to basic civil legal services. He previously served as Chair of the State Bar Committee on Pattern Jury Charges (Business, Consumer, Insurance, and Employment) and as a Director of the Texas Young Lawyers Association. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and frequently speaks at continuing legal education conferences.
Brett is also active in his community. A life-long violinist, he served for many years on the Houston Symphony Board, where he chaired the Artistic Affairs Committee and the Music Director Selection Committee. Brett is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum and has served on the board of the Post Oak School.
Brett and his wife, Erin, met as clerks at the U.S. Supreme Court. They have two children.
Bobby Chesney
Dean, James A. Baker III Chair in the Rule of Law and World Affairs
The University of Texas School of Law
Robert (Bobby) Chesney is the Dean of The University of Texas School of Law, where he also holds the James A. Baker III Chair in the Rule of Law and World Affairs.
He is known internationally for his scholarship relating both to cybersecurity and national security. He founded and continues to guide the Integrated Cybersecurity Studies program at UT’s Strauss Center for International Security and Law (where he served as the director for many years), and is the author of a popular eCasebook on the legal, policy, and institutional aspects of that topic.
He is a co-founder of Lawfare, the nation’s leading online source for analysis of national security legal issues, and he co-hosts the popular show The National Security Law Podcast. He is a member of the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee of the U.S. government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Dean Chesney attended Harvard Law School and Texas Christian University, graduating both magna cum laude. He clerked on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and practiced law in the litigation department of David Polk & Wardwell. Before joining UT in 2008, he was a member of the faculty of Wake Forest University School of Law, where he won multiple teaching awards. He is from San Antonio.
Sean Flammer
Assistant General Counsel, Office of General Counsel
The University of Texas System
Sean Flammer specializes in Title IX, student affairs disputes, employment issues, constitutional litigation, and general litigation.
Sean graduated with High Honors and with the Order of the Coif distinction from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 2007. After clerking for a federal appellate judge, Sean joined a large litigation firm in Austin. He practiced trial and appellate litigation for over 4 years before he joined the Office of Attorney General. At the Attorney General’s office, Sean spent over 5 years representing universities and other state agencies in complex litigation. He had a heavy docket of litigating and advising clients on Title IX/due-process matters. He has tried cases in federal and state court and argued at courts of appeals in both state and federal court. He is a former adjunct professor at UT Law and has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in high-profile litigation.
Sean is active in the Austin legal community. He is a member of the Lochridge Inns of Court and is the former Chair of the Austin Bar Association’s Civil Litigation Section. Before law school, Sean was a Teach for America teacher in the Mississippi Delta and attended Grinnell College.
Krista Anderson
Systemwide Title IX Coordinator
The University of Texas System
Krista Anderson currently serves as the Systemwide Title IX Coordinator for The University of Texas System. Ms. Anderson’s responsibilities include providing systemwide guidance, training, and resources on Title IX & sexual misconduct, Clery Act requirements, and Youth Protection Programs for minors on campus.
Ms. Anderson has over 16 years of student affairs and higher education experience including overseeing a campus-wide Title IX program, developing victim advocacy services for students, administering a campus-wide crisis management program for student emergencies, managing threat assessment and behavior intervention strategies for student wellness issues, and working in residence life and academic/graduate affairs in additional capacities.
Ms. Anderson previously served as the Associate Vice President and Title IX Coordinator for The University of Texas at Austin, and she was with U.T. Austin for almost 7 years in various roles before joining the U.T. System in 2019. In addition to working at large, public institutions, Ms. Anderson has experience with small, private, liberal arts colleges as well. Ms. Anderson earned a B.S. in Applied Sociology, and an M.Ed. in Counseling and Guidance (with an emphasis in student affairs), both at Texas State University.
Zeena Angadicheril
Of Counsel, Winstead PC
Zeena Angadicheril is a member of Winstead’s Higher Education, Real Estate, and Sports Business & Media Industry Groups, representing public and private sector clients in real estate development projects and other transactional matters. Zeena spent over a decade working as an attorney for The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Austin and has extensive experience in a broad range of matters affecting public universities, with particular emphasis in laws and regulations related to athletics, public information, business contracts, real estate, and research integrity.
Jeff Nydegger
Shareholder, Winstead PC
Jeff Nydegger represents both public and private sector clients in public development projects, with a focus on alternative delivery procurements and public-private partnership (P3s) transactions. Jeff’s experience includes a broad range of project types including higher education sports facilities, courthouse projects and municipal facilities, mixed-use P3 developments, research parks, convention centers and hotels, student housing, utility infrastructure, and major industrial development projects.
Allyson H. Kinzel
Senior Vice President of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Chief Regulatory Officer
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Ms. Kinzel is the senior vice president of Legal and Regulatory Affairs and serves as the Chief Regulatory Officer of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. In this role, she leads Legal Services, Institutional Compliance, and Internal Audit. Ms. Kinzel is responsible for legal and regulatory matters that affect the institution.
She is the Executive Sponsor of the Women’s Leadership Network at MD Anderson and is a member of the President’s Advisory Council, Diversity Council, Executive Institutional Compliance Committee, Audit Committee, Institutional Conflict of Interest Committee, and Art Committee. Ms. Kinzel received the MD Anderson Inclusive Excellence Leadership Award in 2021 in recognition for offering invaluable support and exemplary leadership in advancing a culture of inclusion.
Since joining MD Anderson in 2008, Ms. Kinzel has served as the deputy chief compliance officer, vice president and chief compliance and ethics officer, and vice president and chief legal officer. Prior to her roles with MD Anderson, she represented health care providers as a partner at BakerHostetler LLP and as an attorney at Vinson and Elkins LLP. She was adjunct faculty for three years at the University of Houston Law Center, where she taught health law compliance classes.
Ms. Kinzel holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from Trinity University, and she earned her law degree magna cum laude at Tulane Law School, where she was awarded the Order of the Coif.
She has served on the Texas State Bar’s Health Law Council and has served as chair of the Houston Bar Association’s Health Law Section. She is a national speaker on health law-related matters, including HIPAA Privacy and Security, foreign government influence, and hospital compliance programs.
Matt Bourgeois
Senior Legal Officer & Director
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Institutional Compliance Office
Matt Bourgeois, J.D., is a Senior Legal Officer & Director in The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Institutional Compliance Office, where he is responsible for providing legal guidance for and oversight of privacy and information security compliance matters. Matt provides legal advice to the MD Anderson workforce relating to HIPAA compliance in the context of hospital operations and research, and oversees a team of compliance analysts who investigate privacy incidents and complaints. He and his team monitor compliance with privacy laws and policies, and provide tailored privacy and information security training to the MD Anderson workforce.
Matt graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s of science in Chemistry, and from the University of Houston Law Center. During law school, he was Articles Editor for the Houston Journal of International Law. Matt served as Judicial Intern for Justice Elsa Alcala of the Texas First Court of Appeals (now of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals). His previous legal experience includes working as a law clerk for Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Gallegos, and Green, P.C., and also as a Legal Intern for MD Anderson’s Institutional Compliance Office. Matt is licensed to practice law in the state of Texas. Matt joined MD Anderson and the Institutional Compliance Office in August of 2011.
Erwin Chemerinsky
Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law
University of California, Berkeley School of Law
Erwin Chemerinsky is Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Prior to assuming this position he was the founding dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law, and a professor at Duke Law School, University of Southern California Law School, and DePaul Law School. He is the author of 15 books and over 200 law review articles. He frequently argues appellate cases, including in the United States Supreme Court. In 2022, he is the President of the Association of American Law Schools.
Benjamin L. Dower
Special Litigation Counsel, Law Enforcement Defense Division
Office of the Attorney General of Texas
As of September 1, 2022, Benjamin L. Dower will serve as Special Litigation Counsel in the Law Enforcement Defense Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Prior to that, Ben was deputy chief of the General Litigation Division. Since 2012, Mr. Dower has represented Texas officials, agencies and public universities, as well as state employees in both state and federal court litigation. Many of Ben’s colleagues describe him as a “lawyer’s lawyer.” He is an expert on sovereign immunity, and has extensive experience in complex employment litigation and institutional-reform litigation.
Mr. Dower’s connection to The University of Texas System is longstanding. In 2008, he served as UT System’s first undergraduate student regent. In 2010, he clerked in the UT System’s Office of General Counsel. In 2013, he represented UT Health Science Center at San Antonio in one of his first cases as an Assistant Attorney General. In 2016, he successfully argued for UT Southwestern at the Fifth Circuit in a student due process case. And earlier this year, he represented UT Austin in a federal jury trial in the Western District of Texas.
Ben and his wife, Cynthia, live in Austin, Texas and enjoy too much tv and keeping their cats, Annie and Oliver off the furniture. Ben is an Associate member of the Barbara Jordan American Inn of Court.
Kimberly Gdula
Deputy Chief, General Litigation Division
Office of the Attorney General of Texas
Kimberly Gdula graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a communications degree before attending law school at Baylor University. After graduating in 2008, Kimberly returned to Austin, where she practiced business litigation and healthcare law at Jackson Walker, LLP. In November 2019, Kimberly joined the Office of the Attorney General, where she is now deputy chief in the General Litigation Division. Her practice includes employment litigation, constitutional reform, and pre-litigation advising.
Kimberly and her husband, Jeff, have two kids. Kimberly is a board member of the Mother Attorney Mentoring Association of Austin and an active member of the Hill Elementary PTA.
