Agencies, Boards and Commissions

Texas Indigent Defense Commission

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13 Members

General Information

209 W. 14th St., Suite 202Austin, TX 78701

Members

Office Office Holder Represents / Term Ends
Chair The Honorable Sharon Keller Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals
Ex Officio Member(s) Sen. Brandon Creighton Texas Senate
The Honorable Nathan L. Hecht Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court
Rep. Joe Moody Chair, House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee
The Honorable Sherry Radack Chief Justice, 1st Court of Appeals
Rep. Reggie Smith Texas House of Representatives
The Honorable Vivian Torres County court or statutory county court judge appointed by the Governor
Sen. John Whitmire Chair, Senate Criminal Justice Committee
Appointed Member(s) Mr. Alex Bunin Governor's Appointment, 02-01-2025
Mr. Jay Cohen Attorney, 02-01-2025
Valerie Covey Governor's Appointment, 02-01-2024
The Honorable Richard A. Evans Governor's Appointment, 02-01-2024
The Honorable Missy Medary State District Judge, Nueces County, 02-01-2024

Staff

Office Office Holder Phone / Fax
Executive Director Geoffrey Burkhart (512) 936-6994
Office Coordinator Megan Bradburry (512) 936-6994
Senior Policy Analyst Kathleen Casey-Gamez (512) 463-2573
Director of Grant Funding Edwin Colfax (512) 463-2508
Director of Public Defense Improvement Scott Ehlers (512) 936-7551
Policy Analyst Olivia Lee (512) 463-1464
Senior Policy Monitor Joel Lieurance (512) 936-7560
Deputy Director Wesley Shackelford (512) 936-6997
Fiscal Analyst Debra Stewart (512) 936-7561
OLS Senior Policy Analyst Linda Gonzalez (512) 936-6996
Grants Specialist Doriana Torres (512) 463-8015
Budget & Accounting Analyst Sharon Whitfield (512) 936-6998

Notes

The 77th Texas Legislature, through the passage of the Fair Defense Act, established the blueprint for
meaningful interaction between State and local government through the creation of the first state body to
administer statewide appropriations and policies. In exchange for State fiscal assistance, the local judiciary
is required to report its plan for delivering indigent defense services. The Commission publishes these local
plans on its website for all to view. The law also requires local county auditors to annually report county
expenditures pertaining to criminal indigent defense services. The county expenditure reports are also
published on the Commission website.
Renamed the Texas Indigent Defense Commission effective September 1, 2011.