The Texas Access to Justice Commission and its co-sponsor, the State Bar of Texas, will honor veterans throughout the state at the 2022 Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans at 6 p.m. CDT on April 27 at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center in Austin.
This year’s keynote speaker is retired Gen. Nadja West, 44th Army surgeon general and former commanding general of U.S. Army Medical Command. West oversaw the most comprehensive transformation in military medicine in more than three decades while ensuring medical force readiness and support of care remained paramount to more than 4 million people. She has 20 years of experience in executive leadership, crisis management, and disaster response. West was also the first female African American three-star general in the Army’s history and is the highest-ranking woman to ever graduate from West Point.
Texas Access to Justice Commission Chair Emeritus Harry M. Reasoner will serve as this year’s gala committee chair. The event’s co-chairs include Jerry K. Clements, Monica Karuturi, David R. McAtee II, Ross R. Moody, Stephen C. Mount, Sandra Phillips Rogers, D. Wayne Watts, Marie Yeates, and Carlos M. Zaffirini Jr.
The following award recipients will be recognized: Veronica Jacobs, formerly of Houston Volunteer Lawyers, will receive the James B. Sales Boots on the Ground Award; Priya Aiyar, senior vice president, corporate affairs and chief legal officer for Southwest Airlines, will receive the Harry M. Reasoner Justice for All Award; and Bruce Bowers, who has worked for over 33 years with Texas Legal Services Center, will receive the Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans has raised more than $4.8 million over more than 15 years for the provision of civil legal aid for low-income Texas veterans.
Sponsorships and individual tickets are available for purchase at texasatj.org/gala.