SCHOOL OF LAW

E. Janice Summer, Executive Director

Ms. Summer is an adjunct professor at The UT School of Law. She received her B.A. with honors, from Wake Forest University in 1966 and an M.A. in 1968 from Florida State University in Higher Education Administration. She completed her J.D. with honors in 1976, from The UT School of Law. Following law school, she served as Briefing Attorney for Chief Justice Joe Greenhill, Texas Supreme Court. She practiced law eight years with Daugherty, Kupperman, Golden (Johnson & Wortley PC) in Austin and three years in sole practice in Austin. Ms Summer represented the University of Texas System in land, real estate, and other legal matters in the Office of General Counsel at The University of Texas System from January 1988 until December 1992. Ms. Summer was Committee Chair for the Standing Committee on Alternative Methods of Dispute Resolution of the State Bar of Texas from June 1989 - May 1991. She was a Director of the Travis County Bar Association, was a member of the Commercial/Real Estate Panel of Arbitrators with the American Arbitration Association and has been a mediator at the Travis County Dispute Resolution Center.

Susan Schultz, Program Director

Ms. Schultz received her undergraduate degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and her J.D. from Baylor School of Law. After graduating from law school, Ms. Schultz practiced regulatory and administrative law in Austin for sixteen years in both the public sector and in private practice. For most of those years, her practice concentrated in telecommunications law, representing the Public Utility Commission and subsequently wireline and wireless telecommunications carriers in regulatory and transactional matters, including interconnection, 911, and municipal franchise issues. Ms. Schultz is trained as a mediator and facilitator. She joined the Center in October 2002.

Suzanne Schwartz, Environmental Program Director

Ms. Schwartz received her law degree from The University of Texas in 1977 and her Bachelor of Journalism degree with honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1973. Ms. Schwartz began working for the Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution in September 2005.
Ms. Schwartz served as General Counsel for the Texas Water Development Board from 1985 through August 2005. TWDB conducts long-term water planning for Texas, provides financial assistance to Texas political subdivisions for water-related projects, and collects and disseminates natural resources data. Ms. Schwartz was actively involved in stakeholder processes in the agency. Ms. Schwartz served as Assistant General Counsel and staff attorney for the Texas Department of Water Resources (predecessor of Texas Commission for Environmental Quality) from 1978 to 1985, overseeing legal aspects of the agency's water rights program.

She is trained in mediation and public policy dispute resolution, serves on the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association board, and is a TMCA credentialed mediator.  Ms. Schwartz was Board Certified – Administrative Law – Texas Board of Legal Specialization from 1989 to 2007.

Dr. Betty Gilmore, Training Program Director

Dr. Gilmore is a licensed clinical psychologist who has recently returned to her home state of Texas after living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She completed her Doctoral and Master's degrees in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology. She completed her Bachelor's degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She has worked in clinical, teaching, training, and consulting roles in wide in variety of settings including university, corporate, private practice, community and healthcare. In the past 10 years, Dr. Gilmore has created, implemented, and conducted training programs and professional presentations locally and nationally in the areas of communication strategies, diversity, conflict resolution, leadership skills, stress management, and in helping individuals and communities recover following traumatic events.  She received her mediation training through CDR Associates and joined the Center in April of 2008.   .

Vicki Read, Fiscal Coordinator

Vicki received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications and Public Relations in 1994 from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. She received her Masters of Arts in Counseling from St. Edward’s University in Austin in 2006. Vicki has worked in the non-profit sector for over ten years in Louisiana and Texas in both the medical and legal fields. She joined the Center in October of 2001 and is a trained mediator.

Mary Gaski, Administrative Assistant

Mary, a recent Austin transplant, is currently working on her Bachelor of Arts degree in History at the University of Texas at Austin. She plans to go on to pursue a Masters of Science degree in Information Studies at UT after she completes her undergraduate studies.