Melissa J. Schank, Executive Director, has worked with nonprofit associations for over 20 years, and has been with TCDLA more than 13 years. She earned her Master’s of Human Resources, Business Administration, Bachelor’s of Communication and Mediation Certificate from Saint Edwards University in Austin, Texas. Her greatest strengths are overseeing the long-term planning and strategy for legal educational programs, in addition to managing the organization’s seminars, membership and communication departments.

Curriculum Director/Staff Attorney Richard L. Wardroup has been a lawyer for 39 years. He holds degrees from Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech School of Law. He has been a TCDLA member for over 29 years and employed by TCDLA since March 2011. Rick has been involved in the trial of capital murder cases since 1983 and the direct appeal of convictions since 1984. Before joining TCDLA, he was active in the prosecution of both state and federal habeas petitions in death penalty cases. In the past year, Rick has served as a course director for seminars on forensic sciences, mental health/capital murder and cross-examination. He has also been a course director at the Capital Trial College in Plano and the South Padre Island Capital Murder Seminar. He has been a faculty member at the Indigent Defense Seminar in Dallas, the Young Lawyer Training in Dallas, and the TCDLA Trial College in Huntsville. His dedication and devotion to bringing high-quality capital defense training to Texas attorneys, and his ability to involve other experienced capital litigators to provide excellent training, are his greatest strengths.

Mari Flores, TCDLA’s Controller, has been with TCDLA since February of 2012. She has an MBA in accounting and a BBA in Finance from Saint Edwards University in Austin, TX. She has 15 years of nonprofit experience in accounting, financial management and auditing. Her accounting and financial nonprofit knowledge, as well as the professionalism, efficiency and dedication she brings to her position are her greatest strengths.

Communications Director Craig Hattersley has been with TCDLA for ten years. He graduated summa cum laude from UT with a BS in journalism, and was senior editor at 3rd Coast magazine, Texas Life magazine, and Austin Weekly, as well as writing or working for the Village Voice, Texas Monthly Publications, and the Texas Observer, among others. Additionally, before coming to TCDLA, he worked at G&S Typesetters in Austin, specializing in the production of college textbooks. A misspent youth featured tours of duty at the Fillmore East in NYC, the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, and years spent under the hood working as a mechanic in a Volkswagen dealership. His son has finished undergrad degrees in math and comp sci and a master's in statistics and probability at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Cristina Abascal, TCDLA’s Accounts Payable Specialist, has been with TCDLA for ten years. She is currently attending Austin Community College pursue a BA in Accounting. She has four years of nonprofit experience in accounting and auditing. Her hard work and dedication and ability to adapt to change are her greatest strengths. When she is not studying or at work she is enjoying her four children.

Miriam Duarte, Database Coordinator, has been with TCDLA for eleven years. Her experience at TCDLA has allowed her to utilize her professionalism and ability to learn and master new concepts. Miriam has shown a commitment to providing unsurpassed service in the membership, seminar, and publication departments. Her attention to detail and accuracy has provided great management and upkeep of the organization's database, her greatest strength.

Amanda Rivera, Program Coordinator, was with TCDLA from 2010-2013 and has since returned to her TCDLA family. She has more than 5 years of experience as a coordinator for continuing education events and more than 10 years in administrative duties. Her experience as a Coordinator in continuing education has allowed her to obtain skills that allow her to provide exceptional support to members, staff, officials, and the general public by using her communication, organizational, and technical skills. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Maxx Trejo is a native South Texan who is currently pursuing a dual-degree track in Business and Liberal Arts at Texas State University. Maxx began his journey with TCDLA over a year and half ago with an interest in learning more about the criminal justice system as a student of political science. But as he began to learn more and more about the criminal justice system through his experiences with TCDLA—particularly how criminal defense attorneys conduct themselves in the presence of injustice—Maxx became enamored of the sheer heroism displayed by criminal defense attorneys in the courtroom. As a result, he has decided to begin studying for the LSAT while he finishes his degrees, and subsequently enroll in law school to become a criminal defense attorney with a specific goal of being a public defender. Maxx’s greatest strengths are his research skills, evident in his numerous experiences conducting research on behalf of political campaigns, legal offices, and most recently for the Social Science Research Center of Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. Maxx has been able to utilize and further sharpen his skills in the fast-paced TCDLA work environment. Maxx is grateful for his experiences at TCDLA, and plans on staying associated with the organization in any future endeavors he pursues.

Keri Steen is a native of Wisconsin who brings a wealth of experience to the association. Besides working in a number of office environments and gaining the skills required to handle multiple accounts, Keri has done work with both the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts in a variety of positions, including training, accounting, and fundraising. She is the mother of twin teenage girls and a boy.

Amanda (Mandy) Mendoza was born and raised in Austin. She is attending school, majoring in communication. She most loves to spend time with her kids, Jason, 4, and Emilyn, 2. Mandy aspires to visit all 50 states.

Chelsea  

Elisa Jaramillo is a native Austinite. She is a licensed cosmetologist, but wanted something more in the line of office work. She therefore transitioned into a clerical position as a childcare worker in the after-school ACE program in the Austin Independent School District. Elisa is proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Amber Guzman is a native Texan. She is currently working on her CDCS and CEHRS certifications for Medical Office Administration. Amber has worked in an office setting for a number of years. She is proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, along with various other computer programs.

Allen Place graduated from Baylor University with a BBA in 1977 and from Baylor Law School in 1979. Since that time, he has practiced law in his hometown of Gatesville. Until he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1990, Allen had a general trial practice in Central Texas and since 1991 has primarily focused on parole law. In 1993, Allen was named Chairman of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence and authored the Penal Code revision during the 73rd Texas legislative session. Texas Monthly named him one of the Ten Best Legislators for his work in 1993. Upon his retirement from the Texas House, Allen was asked to assist TCDLA's legislative program. By January of 2019 when the 86th Texas legislature convenes, Allen will have worked for TCDLA for 20 years.

Shea Place graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Psychology from St. Edward’s University, interning as a research assistant for State Representative Jessica Farrar in 2009. She received her JD from Baylor University, where she was a technical editor on the Baylor Law Review. In 2016 Shea joined the Place Law Office in Austin, practicing criminal defense with a focus on parole issues. She is a member of the Austin Bar Association and the Austin Young Lawyers Association. Shea joined the TCDLA team in January 2017 as a lobbyist for the legislative session. She will continue to assist in legislative efforts throughout the interim.