Hon. Roxanne Nelson, Burnet

Judge Roxanne Nelson lives in Burnet, Texas and has served as Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1 since her appointment in November, 2015.  She has been elected three times to fill this position.  She has also served as Associate Judge for the cities of Granite Shoals and Burnet.

Appointed as Associate Judge for the City of Granite Shoals in March, 2010, and working through an inter-local agreement between the City and Burnet County, Judge Nelson served as full time magistrate at the Burnet County Jail, as well as the Indigent Defense Coordinator and Mental Health Liaison.  In June, 2011, at the request of the Burnet County Commissioners’ Court, the Texas Legislature created the position of Burnet County Criminal Magistrate and Judge Nelson was appointed to serve in that position until her November, 2015 appointment as Justice of the Peace.

During her 15 years serving the Burnet County community, she has worked in the Magistrate’s office located in the booking department of the county jail.  Working in the jail provided her the opportunity to experience firsthand the dire circumstances that incarcerated mentally ill and intellectually disabled individuals face, as well as the challenges that face Texas Sheriffs as they try to provide for these needs.  She works closely with the local mental health authority in Burnet County to ensure that vulnerable individuals in crisis receive the appropriate attention and care needed.  Judge Nelson has taught classes on the topic of Article 16.22 and Emergency Detention, has spoken at several conferences on those topics as well as the topic of rural county mental health needs and has served as Moderator for a Sequential Intercept Mapping event in conjunction with the Community Resource Center of Marble Falls.  Judge Nelson has attended numerous mental health training workshops and trainings, including two Mental Health First Aid classes.

Judge Nelson has served as a Commissioner on the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health since its inception.  In that capacity she has served on numerous committees, including the Substance Use Disorder Committee (Chair), Legislative Research Committee, Adult Bench Book Committee, Summit Committee and Forms Committee.  She also serves as Chair on the Board of Trustees for Bluebonnet Trails Community Services and is a member of the Board of Directors for Texas Council of Community Centers, serving on the Public Policy/Legislative Directions Committee (Co-Chair) and the Business Committee.