Juvenile Bench Book Committee

The Texas Juvenile Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Law Bench Book (commonly called the “Juvenile Bench Book”) is a procedural guide for Texas juvenile judges hearing cases regarding children with mental illness and/or IDD, developed by the JCMH and numerous contributing authors and editors including the Juvenile Bench Book Committee. 

The Juvenile Bench Book Committee is chaired by Judge Cynthia Wheless and meets as needed to advise on content, editing, and feedback on the most up to date version of the Juvenile Bench Book. In 2025, the 4th Edition of the Juvenile Bench Book was published. 

• Hon. Cynthia Wheless, Chair 
  Judge, 417th District Court 
• Jamie Bernstein, J.D. 
  Executive Director, Supreme Court Children’s Commission 
• Hon. Renee Rodriguez-Betancourt 
  Judge, 449th District Court 
• Amanda Peters Britton
  Clinical Director, Ector County Youth Center
• Shandra Carter
  Executive Director, Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Dr. Uche Chibueze
  Assistant Director of Health Services, Harris County Juvenile Probation Department
• William R. “Bill” Cox
  Director of Public Defense Improvement, Texas Indigent Defense Commission
• Tami Coy 
  Continuum Director, Texas Juvenile Justice Department 
• Lacey Evans
  Deputy Director of Integrated Treatment, Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Hon. Alyse Ferguson
  Of Cousel, Rosenthal, Kalabus & Therrian
• Hon. Dena Fisher 
  Judge, 315th District Court 
• Morgen Gawlik
  Program Specialist, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Hon. Cynthia Porter Gore 
  Judge, Allen Municipal Court 
• Sean Grove
  Deputy Executive Director, Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Yakir Harosh
  Program Specialist, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Dr. Courtney Harvey
  Associate Commissioner, Office of Mental Health Coordination, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Jennifer Jones
  Halfway Houses & Contract Care Director, Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Hon. Kristen Legore
  Judge, Guadalupe County Court at Law No. 2
• Chris Lopez
  Assistant General Counsel, State Hospital, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Jill Mata
  Chief Probation Officer, Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department 
• Hon. Stacey Mathews 
  Judge, 277th District Court 
• Hon. Tyra McCollum
  Judge, Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 2
  
• Rosie Medina
  Chief Juvenile Probation Officer, El Paso County Juvenile Probation Department
• Regan Metteauer
  Deputy Director, Texas Municipal Courts Education Center
• Morgan Miller
  General Counsel, Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department
• Beth Mitchell
  Litigation Coordinator, Disability Rights Texas
• Janel Morgan
  Director of Probation Services, El Paso County Juvenile Probation Department
• Valerie Murrieta
  Special Project Manager, Texas Health and Human Services Commission 
• Dr. Evan Norton
  Deputy Executive Director, Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Todd Novak
  Director of Reentry Services, Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Dr. Susan Palacios
  Manager of Community Interventions and Supports, Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Officer Terry Qualls
  Crisis Intervention Coordinator, McKinney Police Department
• Simone Salloum
  Policy Attorney, Texas Health and Human Services
• Hon. Riley Shaw
  Associate Judge, 323rd District Court
• Kaci Singer
  Deputy General Counsel, Texas Juvenile Justice Department 
• Matt Smith
  Director of Statewide Youth Services Continuum at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Hon. Charles A. Stephens
  Judge, Comal County Court at Law #2
• Nydia Thomas 
  Director of Training, Lone Star Justice Alliance 
• Hon. Victor Villareal
  Judge, Webb County Court-at-Law II
• Dr. Jeannie Von Stultz
  Deputy Chief of the Mental Health Services Division, Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department 
• Nicole Weaver
  YES Waiver Program Manager, Texas Health and Human Services

As of December 2025