Staff

Trish McAllister has over 20 years of experience in the access to justice field.  Prior to joining the Commission, she served as the Executive Director of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, a non-profit pro bono legal service provider.  She also worked at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid where she was a regional team leader for the family law division handling domestic violence cases and then acting branch manager.  Prior to life as an attorney, she worked in the health care field as an executive of a tertiary care hospital in South Carolina and subsequently developed a subsidiary company for a national anesthesia group in Atlanta. 

Trish holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Houston School of Law and a Masters in Business Administration from Duke University.

Cathryn Ibarra joined the Commission as a Civil Justice Attorney after working with the Legal Access Division of the State Bar of Texas to develop and support initiatives designed to improve the quality and quantity of access to justice for low-income people in Texas. Prior to working at the Bar, she pursued her passion for policy work as a legislative aide for Senator John Whitmire.

Cathryn received a B.A. in International Relations from Claremont McKenna College in California before returning to Texas to study law at St. Mary’s University.

Renee joined the Commission and the State Bar’s Legal Access Division in October 2020.  Prior to her position as Program Developer, Renee was active in the Texas music community working as a talent buyer and marketer for Texas promoters and venues.

Renee has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Houston and a Master’s in business administration from St. Edward’s University.

Patricia became a part of the Commission and the State Bar’s Legal Access Division in January 2019.  Prior to joining the team, she worked as Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs at Huston-Tillotson University. She is excited to be a part of both organizations and looks forward to doing her part to make sure more Texans have access to the justice system.

Patricia has an Bachelors in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications of Syracuse University.