Our Team
Leadership
Dick Weekley
Senior Chairman, Board of Directors
Dick Weekley is a native Houstonian, businessman and philanthropist. He founded Weekley Properties, a commercial real estate brokerage firm, in Houston in 1973.
Dick Trabulsi
Chairman, Board of Directors
Mr. Trabulsi is a co-founder and Chairman of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, Chairman of TLRPAC, and Director of the Texans for Lawsuit Reform Foundation.
Hugh Rice Kelly
Senior General Counsel, Board of Directors
Hugh Rice Kelly is a co-founder, senior general counsel, and board member of TLR. He authored TLR’s original legislative agenda, most of which was enacted in 1995.
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.
Alan Hassenflu
Board of Directors
Alan Hassenflu is the co-founder and CEO of Fidelis Realty Partners Ltd., which provides comprehensive services to its commercial real estate portfolio. Since its founding, Fidelis’ portfolio has grown from one million square-feet in the greater Houston area to over 11 million square-feet, including properties in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana and Tennessee.
Jeff Shellebarger
Board of Directors
Jeff Shellebarger is chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 23rd World Petroleum Congress (WPC) to be held in Houston in December of 2020. He also serves on the Board of the Greater Houston Partnership and is a member of the Kinder Institute Advisory Board.
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.
Michael Weekley
Board of Directors
Michael is the owner and CEO of Eagle Point Solutions, a Texas-based interior finishes company that has offices in Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio.
Mary Tipps
Executive Director, Board of Directors
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. Mary is TLR’s main point of contact for legislators, trade groups and other organizations around the state, and works closely with all interested stakeholders to advocate for TLR’s agenda.
Lee Parsley
General Counsel, Board of Directors
Lee Parsley has worked with TLR since 2002, and now serves as its general counsel. 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. His experience in the legislative process helps TLR engage with lawmakers and stakeholders to ensure Texas is passing principled laws for a fair and efficient legal system.
Staff
Amy Befeld
Assistant General Counsel
Amy Befeld joined TLR in 2022, working with our legal team on legislative drafting, as well as legal research, analysis and development of TLR’s legislative agenda. With both courtroom and legislative experience inside the Capitol and in the private sector, Amy brings in-depth, firsthand legal experience that is critical to TLR’s advocacy efforts to improve Texas’ legal system.
Lucy Nashed Cafrelli
Communications Director
Lucy Nashed Cafrelli has been the communications director at Texans for Lawsuit Reform since 2016, managing media relations and communications strategy for the organization. Lucy uses a variety of communications tools, including social media, earned media and digital multimedia to help educate TLR’s statewide audience about its work to make our legal system more affordable, efficient and accessible to all Texans.
Avery Martinez
Administrative Manager
Avery joined the TLR team as administrative manager in the Austin office in 2022. In addition to keeping the office running efficiently, assisting in planning special events and meetings, coordinating the hundreds of bills that are reviewed by TLR’s staff and attorneys during the legislative session and helping manage TLR’s interns, Avery helps research and coordinate special projects related to Texas’ legal system and lawsuit reforms, as well as TLRPAC.
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.
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.
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.
