TCADP

Robert Van Steenburg, President. Bob is a retired U.S. Army Colonel with more than 27 years service. He has commanded soldiers from platoon to brigade level. Bob has been active in social justice issues since 1970 and has been involved with the effort to end use of capital punishment since 1998. Bob holds a BS from the University of Florida and an MA from the University of Akron. Bob is a member of Catholics Against Capital Punishment, the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, and the NAACP. Bob has been a member of TCADP since 2003 and a member of the board since 2005. Bob resides in Austin, Texas. president@tcadp.org

Les Breeding, Vice President. Les Breeding has worked with political issues and the Texas Legislature for the last 25 years. He has served as the director of a peace group located adjacent to Pantex, the country’s nuclear weapon assembly plant (Peace Farm); as a legislative aide and as legislative director for members of the Texas House of Representatives (John Hirschi and Lon Burnam); and as a state and national board member of the country’s largest grassroots peace organization (Peace Action). He is currently a college instructor (Virginia College) and owns a consulting firm where he has conducted legislative research for litigation attorneys for the last 13 years (Capitol Research). breeding@tcadp.org

Angelle Adams, Secretary. Angelle is an attorney in Houston, Texas. Her areas of concentration include commercial litigation, general civil litigation and personal injury trial law. Angelle received her Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Texas at Austin in 2000 and her Masters in Education from the University of Houston. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary’s University in 2006. Angelle is a Board member of the Houston Lawyers Association and serves as Secretary of the African-American Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Texas. She is also an active member of Amnesty International and participates in Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.  secretary@tcadp.org

Richard Woodward, Ph.D., Treasurer. Rich Woodward is a professor at Texas A&M University in the Department of Agricultural Economics. His research and teaching is in the general area of environmental and resource economics. A founding member of the Brazos Valley chapter of TCADP, Rich has been vocal about his opposition to the death penalty for over a decade. treasurer@tcadp.org

Helene Burns. Helene Burns is a Registered Nurse with a certification in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing.  She is a Murder Victim Family Member.  Her father brutally murdered her mother in 1985 and she worked with the local District Attorney’s office (in Los Angeles, CA) in preparing the case and in testifying at the trial.  Although it was a capital case, Helene did not wish death for her father.  As a Christian Jew, she also does not think it is for us to decide that fate for any human in a court of law.  Helene’s father was convicted and is currently a “lifer” in the California prison system. Helene has worked with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office as a volunteer with Victim Services 10 years, and is currently a member of the Sheriff’s Department Critical Incident Stress Management Team where she debriefs  first responders following traumatic events.  Helene has co-authored an op-ed about the death penalty, which was recently published in the Sacramento Bee Newspaper and her story was recently highlighted in both the MVFR and TCADP newsletters.  Helene considers herself to be a political conservative and so approaches legislators with a conservative to moderate point of view.

Carolyn Esparza, LPC. With almost 40 years experience as a counselor and social services administrator, Carolyn Esparza is Founder and Director of Community SOLUTIONS of El Paso, a non-profit social service agency uniquely serving the prison family.  She is a university instructor, a recognized workshop leader and professional training facilitator, and author of “The Parenting Business: Hindsight is 20/20” and articles featured in several magazines and newspapers.  Carolyn received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio.  She has provided court ordered psycho-social assessments for the courts in San Antonio; served as Family Involvement Coordinator and Social Service Administrator for a maximum security facility of the Texas Youth Commission and as the Treatment Director for a maximum security private youth detention facility in Colorado; and instructed parenting classes at a federal prison located in El Paso, Texas.  She also has been involved with prison ministries in both adult and juvenile facilities.  In 2009, Carolyn initiated the first-ever National Prisoner’s Family Conference, which is now in its fifth year; she serves as the conference Chair.  In addition, she is the President of the El Paso, Texas chapter of CURE, an international organization seeking prison reform.

Mary Heartlein. Mary Heartlein has 20 years experience managing volunteers and raising funds for Houston’s nonprofit community. Working for Volunteer Houston and now at the John P. McGovern Museum of Medical and Health Science(The Health Museum), Mary is dedicated to the nonprofit sector as a means to build community. Mary values Houston’s diverse population and is committed to raising awareness of, and harnessing resources for, the under-served. Her interest in furthering public awareness of social justice issues has grown through her work with teens as a religious education instructor, as a volunteer at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and through creating volunteer opportunities that target minority teens at Volunteer Houston and The Health Museum. Mary’s interest in the death penalty was nurtured by following the work of criminal defense attorneys in the cases of Clarence Brandley and Kerry Max Cook, and their subsequent freedom from Texas Death Row.

Bernard Kern. Bernard Kern is a retired minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the past Executive Director of Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth.  He is a native Texan who grew up in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree.  He then attended the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, graduating with a Master of Divinity Degree in 1962.  He served for 10 years in parish ministry, holding pastorates in Point Comfort and Houston, before joining Goodwill Industries.  During his Goodwill career and throughout retirement, he has continued to be involved in parish ministry, serving as interim pastor in 10 congregations, the last being Hope Lutheran Church in Springtown, Texas.  In addition, Bernard has served as Executive Director of the Mission Endowment Fund for his Synod, President of Peace Action of Tarrant County, and co-chair of the Inter-Faith Network for Peace and Justice.  He resides in Fort Worth.

Pat Monks. Pat, a native Houstonian, has practiced law as a criminal defense attorney for 27 years in Houston and Dallas, Texas. Pat has argued 5 cases before the Texas Court of Criminal appeals and is the founding member of the Municipal Justice Bar Association of Texas. Pat is a board member of the American Prepaid Legal Services Institute, which is a branch of the American Bar Association. Pat has been associated with the Republican Party since birth – his father Gerald Monks was a long-time Republican Chair in Harris County dating back to the time George H.W. Bush was the county chair. Pat has been the chair of Precinct 718 of Harris County for the past 8 years. He has attended almost all of the precinct, senatorial, and State Republican Conventions for the last 20 years and currently serves on the Judicial Candidate Selection Committee of Harris County. Members of his family have run for office many times as judge, district attorney, city council and school board member. He is a firm believer of getting involved in politics. Pat Monks is a conservative Republican who believes the death penalty is fundamentally flawed: “I don’t see how, we as a people, can legislatively give another man the right to kill in God’s name.”

Estrus Tucker. Estrus Tucker is an independent consultant and keynote speaker specializing in small and large group facilitation, and in designing and leading conversations and retreats across the country in support of personal and professional development, community renewal, conflict transformation, healing and reconciliation, appreciation of cultural diversity and strategies of inclusion.  Estrus is a seasoned practitioner of the Circles of Trust, Social Change for Leadership Development and other models of civic engagement. For the past fourteen years, he has served as President & CEO of Liberation Community, Inc., a social justice network, and Past President & Moderator of the Minority Leaders & Citizens Council hosting a weekly live audience, Cable & Radio Leadership Forum that encouraged dialogue & action. He has also served as President & CEO of the Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of United Way of Tarrant County. Estrus’ current volunteer service includes Commissioner and Chair of the Fort Worth Human Relations Commission, member of the Tarrant County Workforce Development Board, International Assoc. Of Human Rights Agencies Board, the National Center for Courage & Renewal Board, and the Fellowship of Reconciliation Tarrant County Steering Committee. He is a Vietnam-era Veteran and an ordained minister active in interfaith and ecumenical initiatives, and has served congregations in Baptist, Presbyterian and nondenominational Churches. Estrus is an alumnus of the University of Texas at Arlington, Leadership Fort Worth and the John Ben Shepherd Texas Public Leadership Forum. His mission is to inspire courage and life-giving values that promote community, nonviolence and justice, in service of a world that works for all.