4-year term. Must be 18 years or older, a U.S. citizen, and a resident of the county. The County Clerk records the proceedings of the county courts and maintains a wide variety of legal and vital records that include marriage licenses, birth and death certificates, land records, power of attorney filings, bonds, plats, marks and cattle brands, assumed names, and beer and wine sales permit applications.
Occupation
Small Business Owner
I am a small business owner, community leader, and champion for transparency in local government. In 2024, I helped convince the County to cancel a multi-million dollar contract with a private prison that failed state inspection. I am President of Equipa, a firm that advises nonprofits and foundations. I hold a B.A. from Austin College and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University. I previously founded and led a nonprofit that brought diverse people together to work for change.
The incumbent County Clerk oversaw the botched rollout of new software that didn’t work after twelve years of development and over $26 million spent. This fiasco shows why we need a County Clerk who can manage complex projects, hold vendors accountable, and build alignment with the many stakeholders who rely on the office. As the next County Clerk, I bring the leadership experience and technical background to be successful in this role.
As the next County Clerk, I want people to feel respected and empowered every time they interact with our office, whether in person, by phone, or online. Creating this experience will be my top priority in leading a team of over 160 employees in over eight locations. In my past leadership, I have used community engagement and “mystery shopper” methods to help organizations improve their customer service. My goal is to make doing business with Tarrant County fast, friendly, and frustration-free.
As a small business owner with a Ph.D., I have the leadership experience and technical background with data management to lead our County Clerk’s office effectively. Local governments are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals. I will prioritize IT investments and better employee training to prevent data breaches and ransomware attacks. Stronger community engagement is also essential to help Tarrant County residents recognize and report fraud.
As a longtime community leader, I have seen how badly we need fresh leadership in the County Clerk’s office.
Two changes I will make:
1. I will encourage public input on the proposed County budget, instead of burying it in an outdated website.
2. The County Clerk has authority over elections administration. The right-wing Republican incumbent has helped our County Judge to close hundreds of polling locations. I will stand up for voting rights as the deciding vote on the Elections Commission.
Occupation
Insurance Risk Manager
I have over 20 years experience as an office manager. In that capacity I have trained hundreds of sales, claims, and most importantly customer service agents. My vision of county clerk requires excellent people skills with each agent having the ability to accomplish a wide variety of tasks and multiple roles. I believe I am uniquely qualified to manage and train the agents of the future.
The biggest challenge would be the voluntary nature of cross training agents for multiple roles. The solution is that performance reviews would have a section on professional development. Professional development would include learning new on the job skills (cross training) or under taking professional classes.
First I would review guidelines that are already in effect. Second I plan to visit each office in the county personally to insure the agents working there are following the proper guidelines. Finally I would accept feedback from customers on improving service.
File accuracy is maintained with a chain of custody when entering records. Every person signs off when a file was handled, stamped, and received. There should be a clear records receipt that can be traced back to the documents origin. There should never be an anonymous document with no author and file clerk stamp or signature. As far as security, there should only be enhanced security on private files and official documents that require notarization or official stamps.
By having cross trained agents in each office to handle basic functions from every other department it would allow heavy traffic departments to share the workload with less impacted agents across the county.
