Board of Directors
Leadership
Dick Weekley
Chairman of the Board
Dick Weekley is a native Houstonian, businessman and philanthropist. He founded Weekley Properties, a commercial real estate brokerage firm, in Houston in 1973.
Emerson Hankamer
Vice Chairman of the Board
Emerson Hankamer is the CEO at Vacations To Go, Inc., a Houston-based travel agency, where he has worked for 25 years.
Ryan Patrick
Chief Executive Officer
Ryan Patrick serves as Chief Executive Officer of Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR), where he leads the organization’s mission to protect Texas jobs, strengthen economic growth, and defend a fair, efficient, and predictable civil justice system.
Lee Parsley
Senior Policy and Legislative Counsel and Board Member
Lee Parsley has worked with TLR since 2002, and now serves as Senior Policy and Legislative Counsel as well as as a Board Member. Lee leads a team of attorneys who help identify and research solutions to the challenges facing Texas’ legal system. Lee’s background in civil and appellate law has given him firsthand experience in navigating Texas’ courts.
Mary Tipps
Executive Director
Mary Tipps has been with TLR since 2003 and currently serves as executive director, managing the day-to-day operations of the organization and its advocacy efforts.
Fred W. Heldenfels IV
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Fred W. Heldenfels IV is president and CEO of Heldenfels Enterprises Inc., a manufacturer of precast/prestressed concrete structures for the highway, industrial, commercial and sports construction markets with plants located in San Marcos and Corpus Christi.
JJ Isbell
TLR Board of Directors
A fourth-generation Texan, JJ Isbell is the founder and president of Texas TransEastern, a privately held petroleum logistics firm based in Pasadena, Texas. In 2023, Texas TransEastern celebrated its 40-year milestone.
Steve Oden
Board of Directors
Steve Oden co-founded OHT Partners along with Craig Hughes and Eric Taylor. Under their leadership, Steve, Craig and Eric have grown the firm not only into one of the leading developers of multifamily communities in Texas, but also one of the largest multifamily builders in the nation.
Marc Watts
Board of Directors
Marc Watts is president of The Friedkin Group, an umbrella company overseeing various business interests that are principally automotive-related, including Gulf States Toyota Inc., a wholesale distributor of Toyota vehicles and products.
Danny Signorelli
Board of Directors
Danny Signorelli is the founder and CEO of The Signorelli Company (TSC), a vertically integrated real estate development firm he founded in 1994. Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, the company focuses on developing master-planned communities across the state, with expertise in land development, retail, multifamily, and homebuilding.
TSC has grown to become one of the largest privately held developers in Texas.
Hugh Rice Kelley
Ex Officio
Hugh Rice Kelly is a co-founder and an ex officio board member of Texans for Lawsuit Reform. He authored TLR’s original legislative agenda, most of which was enacted in 1995.
Hugh Rice Kelly
Ex Officio
Hugh Rice Kelly is a co-founder and an ex officio board member of Texans for Lawsuit Reform. He authored TLR’s original legislative agenda, most of which was enacted in 1995.
Hugh Rice Kelley
Ex Officio
Hugh Rice Kelly is a co-founder and an ex officio board member of Texans for Lawsuit Reform. He authored TLR’s original legislative agenda, most of which was enacted in 1995.
Staff
Ryan Dumais
Chief Operating Officer
Ryan oversees all of TLR’s operations, including finance, technology, staffing, and systems. With a background in political fundraising and grassroots, Ryan also facilitates TLR’s outreach to the business and political communities and oversees Dick Weekley’s public policy engagement in a variety of issue areas.
Glenda Hovey
Administrative Director
Glenda Hovey has been with TLR since 2000 and serves as administrative director. Glenda works behind the scenes to keep operations running smoothly by ensuring the day to day administrative duties are done. She also works closely with Kristie Vazquez to maintain TLR’s vast database.
Drew Lawson
Political Consultant
Drew Lawson served as director of TLRPAC from 2009 to 2017 and is now the PAC’s lead consultant, overseeing the strategic distribution of the PAC’s election cycle budget and consulting on some of the highest profile campaigns in the state. He also serves on the TLR lobby team during the legislative sessions, advocating for principled, common-sense tort reforms that have been a critical building block of Texas’ thriving economic environment.
Buckley Morlot
Director of Advancement
Jordan Overturf
Director of Communications
Jordan Overturf is our Director of Communications, leading TLR’s messaging and media operations. With more than 20 years combined in journalism, politics, and government, Jordan brings extensive on-the-ground experience in Texas and a track record of working for national conservative thought leaders. From award-winning journalist to senior advisor to Governor Kristi Noem, Jordan has built a reputation as a bold, digital-first communications leader.
Kristie Vazquez
Director of Supporter Services
Kristie Vazquez has been with TLR since 2000, and serves as data manager in the Houston office. She also manages TLR’s Speaker’s Bureau program, which connects TLR volunteers with organizations interested in learning more about how lawsuit reform has helped strengthen our state economy and keep our courts fair and efficient.
