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TYLA Welcomes New Directors and President-elect; State Bar of Texas Welcomes New President-Elect
By: Laura Pratt

TYLA’s members elected C. Barrett Thomas of Sweetwater to serve as President-elect of the Texas Young Lawyers Association for the 2014–15 bar year. Thomas is a felony prosecutor in the 32nd Judicial District and runs a family law practice in Sweetwater and Abilene. Thomas spent several years working as a police officer and still volunteers as a reserve police officer and instructor to support local law enforcement. He and his wife, Charla, an assistant city attorney in Abilene, met on the first day of law school, and they have four children. Thomas will serve as TYLA’s President for the 2015–16 bar year. Thomas and his fellow President-elect nominee, Amber James of Midland, campaigned throughout Texas in March. Fewer than 100 votes separated the two candidates.

The State Bar of Texas also welcomes a new President-elect. Allan K. DuBois of San Antonio is a solo practitioner at the Law Office of Allan K. DuBois, P.C. in San Antonio, where he handles civil litigation and appeals, mediation, and arbitration. He is a trustee and grants chair of the Texas Bar Foundation and has served on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Professional Development Program Committee, and Nominations and Elections Committee. DuBois will serve as President-elect in 2014–15 and as President in 2015–16.

Rebekah Brooker of Dallas will serve as TYLA President for 2014–15. Along with Brooker and Thomas, TYLA’s 2014–15 officers will be Vice President Sam Houston (San Antonio), Treasurer John Shaw (Fort Worth), Secretary Baili Rhodes (College Station), Board of Directors Chair Dustin Howell (Austin), Chair-elect Priscilla Camacho (San Antonio), and Immediate Past President Kristy Blanchard (Plano). In addition to their offices, Rhodes, Shaw, Camacho, and Thomas serve as elected directors to TYLA’s board.

TYLA members also elected members of the board of directors from their individual districts. Joining the Board next year are Raymond Baeza (El Paso), John Ellis (Austin), Adam Harden (Houston), Michelle Scheffler (Houston), and Veronica Wolfe (San Antonio). Aaron Capps (Dallas), Zeke Fortenberry (McKinney), Bill Gardner (Dallas), Baili Rhodes (College Station), John Shaw (Fort Worth), Shannon Steel White (Corpus Christi), and Alex Yarbrough (Amarillo) were also re-elected to the board. Kimberly Clark (Palestine) and Sally Pretorius (Southlake) will serve as Minority at-Large directors.

Brooker will be sworn in as TYLA President, and the terms of TYLA’s new officers and directors will begin, at TYLA’s Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on June 27 in Austin in conjunction with the State Bar’s Annual Meeting.

Laura Pratt is an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Lubbock. She serves as an elected director on TYLA’s Board.