Valerie Lewis is a civil defense and appellate attorney, where she practices her oral and writing advocacy skills inside and outside of the courtroom. Valerie is Southeast Texas born and raised and is a proud alumni of All Saints Episcopal School (c/o 2000), West Brook High School (c/o 2004), Rice University (c/o 2008), and Tulane University Law School School (c/o 2014). Before law school, she spent one year teaching English in rural France. She next served two years as a Teach For America Corps Member in Northern California, where she taught seventh grade English as part of Teach For America's mission to make excellent education equitable and available to all children, regardless of their background, immigration status, or their families' income level, and fought for an uncompromising belief in every child. Her advocacy skills carry into her volunteer efforts in the Southeast Texas community, where she has served as Treasurer of the Junior League of Beaumont, Treasurer of the Michelle M. Mehaffy Inn of Court, and Treasurer of the Jefferson County Young Lawyers Association and in countless other leadership roles in various organizations. Valerie is also a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, the largest charitably founded bar foundation in the nation. Only 1/3 of 1% of Texas attorneys are invited, based on the attorney's administration of justice and high professional standing among their peers. Valerie's experience as a Teach For America Corps member, an attorney, and as a leader on the board of several nonprofits has taught her that everyone's time is valuable, words need to have the biggest impact with the fewest words possible, progress must be measurable, and innovation is important.