Meet the Team

cabremon@utmb.edu, (409) 747-8735

Carolanda Bremond Woodgett joined the University of Texas Medical Branch in January of 2011. She is an attorney specializing in employment law and litigation management, and she currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for the Office of Legal and Regulatory Affairs.  Prior to joining UTMB, Carolanda worked in the Labor and Employment Section in the Houston office of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., where her practice focused on a variety of labor and employment issues, including Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, workers' compensation, and other employment-related tort and contract issues. Carolanda received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and minor in Africana Studies from Wellesley College and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas.

lmbeamon@utmb.edu, (409) 747-8749

Lauren Beamon joined University of Texas Medical Branch in January of 2014. She currently serves as Associate Legal Officer and provides legal advice and counsel regarding all aspects of labor and employment law for UTMB. Prior to joining UTMB, Lauren worked in the City of Beaumont's City Attorney's Office, where her practice focused on a variety of labor and employment issues, civil litigation and contract issues. Lauren received her bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University and her JD from Texas Southern University- Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She was licensed to practice law by the State of Texas in 2010.

rohebbar@utmb.edu, (409) 747-8743

Rohan Hebbar joined The University of Texas Medical Branch in September of 2012 as an attorney in the Office of Institutional Compliance. In February of 2014, he transitioned to the Department of Legal Affairs where he is responsible for drafting, reviewing, and structuring contracts related to the clinical, research, and educational aims of UTMB. He also provides legal advice and counsel on a variety of transactional, clinical, research, and education matters and serves as general counsel for UTMB's wholly owned subsidiary, Medical Branch Innovations. Rohan received his bachelor's degree from the George Washington University, his JD from Tulane University, and earned an LLM in Health Law from the University of Houston Law Center. He was licensed to practice law by the State of Texas in 2011.

rucheri1@utmb.edu   409.747.8729

Ruby Cherian joined UTMB as an Associate Vice President of Legal Affairs in 2019. Ruby received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Texas Woman's University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Houston Law Center. Prior to joining UTMB, Ruby worked at Houston Methodist as a Claims Attorney in the Corporate Claims and Litigation department where her practice focused on employment law, general liability claims and medical malpractice claims. Ruby also worked at CHI St. Luke's Health-Sugar Land Hospital as the Director of Medical Staff Services and Risk Management and at The Woman's Hospital of Texas as the Director of Patient Safety and Risk Management. She also has her certification in Risk Management (CPHRM) and Patient Safety (CPPS). Ruby has been licensed to practice law since 2005.

raddavis@utmb.edu  409.747.2824

Rachel Davis joined the University of Texas Medical Branch in February of 2022.  She currently serves as an Associate Legal Officer for UTMB Correctional Managed Care. Rachel earned her B.A. in Humanities from the University of Houston Clear Lake in 2008 and worked as a paralegal until graduating Cum Laude from South Texas College of Law Houston in 2016. Rachel was licensed to practice law by the State of Texas in 2017, after which she worked as a solo practitioner specializing in family law and criminal defense. Rachel is also a certified mediator and coaches law student teams competing annually in the ABA Client Counseling competition. Rachel is a native Houstonian and currently lives in the Seabrook area with her husband, two kids and two big dogs. 

mhtaylor@utmb.edu409.747.8747

Matthew Taylor joined the University of Texas Medical Branch as an Associate Legal Officer in January of 2022. He is responsible for coordinating with relevant departments and individuals at UTMB and the University of Texas System to fulfill requests made under the Texas Public Information Act and reviews certain research agreements. Prior to his arrival at UTMB, Matthew served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Open Records Division of the Office of the Attorney General and as a Hamilton Fellow and Management and Program Analyst for the US Treasury Department. Matthew holds a bachelor's degree from Baylor University as well as master's degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Southern California. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from University of Texas School of Law and obtained his license to practice law in the State of Texas in 2015. Matthew also enjoys reading, following professional and collegiate sports, and spending time with his wife and three young children.

srward@utmb.edu409.266.7492

Shekeira Ward is an Associate Legal Officer for Risk Management in the Department of Legal & Regulatory Affairs. She primarily handles pre-suit claims and litigation management for medical malpractice, premises, auto, and other general liability matters. Prior to joining UTMB, Shekeira was an Assistant Attorney General in the Transportation Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. She represented various state agencies in eminent domain and employment litigation matters in state and federal court across the state. She was also an AAG in the Child Support Division, where she achieved the establishment, enforcement, modification, and termination of thousands of child support and medical support orders through litigation in over 20 counties in north and west Texas. Shekeira received a B.S. in Human Resource Development from Texas A&M University in College Station. She also received a Juris Doctor with Cum Laude honors and a certificate in Judicial Opinion Writing from North Carolina Central University School of Law. Her judicial internships include the Honorable Micaela Alvarez, U.S. District Judge, Southern District of Texas and the Honorable Wanda Bryant, Senior Associate Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals, as well as the Honorable Staci Williams, 101st Civil District Court of Dallas County, Texas. She was licensed to practice law by the State of Texas in 2015 and by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals (Washington, D.C.) in 2016.

kahenze@utmb.edu409.747.9453

Kaelan Henze joined the University of Texas Medical Branch in September of 2019. She is responsible for providing legal guidance and assistance to UTMB departments and administration regarding a variety of issues in the clinical, research, and educational areas relating to transactions, affiliations, and academic misconduct matters. Kaelan also serves as UTMB's Public Information Officer, overseeing the processing of requests made under the Texas Public Information Act. Prior to her arrival at UTMB, Kaelan served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Open Records Division of the Office of the Attorney General and as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Baytown. Kaelan holds Bachelor of Arts Degrees from Texas A&M University in Political Science and Psychology. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Texas Tech University School of Law. Kaelan obtained her license to practice law in the State of Texas in 2015.

brugarci@utmb.edu

Bruce Garcia joined the University of Texas Medical Branch in June of 2023. He is an attorney specializing in Correctional Managed Health Care Issues. 

Prior to joining UTMB, Bruce worked in the Law Enforcement Defense Division of the Texas Attorney General’s Office, where his practice focused on constitutional law issues specializing in Section 1983 claims such as deliberate indifference and the use of excessive force by law enforcement officials. In this position, he also represented UTMB-CMC staff when inmates alleged improper medical care.

Bruce received his Bachelor of Arts and his law degree from the University of Texas. He has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2006.   

Assistant Vice President
frstreet@utmb.edu, (409) 772-0376

Frances Streeter is a licensed attorney for the States of Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas, and is a registered patent attorney. Frances is responsible for handling UTMB's intellectual property issues regarding sponsored research related agreements, technology transfer agreements, and IP related agreements. For over a decade, she has served as the university's export control representative. Additionally, Frances teaches classes and conducts regular trainings and presentations on intellectual property and export controls. Frances is also the Chair of UTMB's Export Control Compliance Committee. Frances received her bachelor of science degree from the University of Central Arkansas at Conway and her juris doctor degree from the William H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Legal Officer,
gwjordan@utmb.edu (409) 772-0369

George Jordan III is an intellectual property attorney responsible for handling material transfer agreements involving UTMB’s Office of Technology Transfer. George has practiced intellectual property law for over two decades, including as a registered patent attorney, and he is a past chair of the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law. George received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Duke University and received a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.  

kajwilli@utmb.edu   409-266-0908

Kaitlyn Williams joined The University of Texas Medical Branch in May of 2024. She currently serves as an Associate Legal Officer, where she provides legal advice and counsel for labor and employment law matters and litigation.  Prior to joining UTMB, Kaitlyn worked as a transactional attorney at the Harris County Attorney’s Office – Hospital District Division, where she served as in-house counsel for Harris Health System. Kaitlyn also served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Child Support Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.

Kaitlyn holds a Bachelor of Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor from The University of Houston Law Center. She is licensed to practice law in Texas.

Associate Legal Officer
knfarrel@utmb.edu, 409-747-5743

Kelly Farrell is an Associate Legal Officer and is part of the Transactions Team in UTMB’s Legal Affairs Department. Prior to this role, she worked in the Office of Legal and Regulatory Affairs Division as the Executive Director of the Department of Internal Investigations and Institutional Title IX Coordinator. She initially joined UTMB in 2015 and has worked in a variety of roles since then. She also worked at MD Anderson Cancer Center as an EEO & HR Regulations Specialist.  

Kelly earned a LLM in Health Law from the University of Houston Law Center and received a Prudential Scholarship Award by the Health Law & Policy Institute for her academic achievement. Kelly graduated with a JD degree, magna cum laude, from Thurgood Marshall School of Law and has a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Business Management from Sam Houston State University. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas. 

njanders@utmb.edu, (409)-747-8733

Nathan currently serves UTMB as Senior Legal Officer within the Department of Legal Affairs (Legal), offering guidance and counsel on a wide range of projects for various UTMB clients since joining the institution in early 2009. Nathan is part of the Transactions Team, and this team within Legal consists of Rohan Hebbar, Kaelan Henze, and Matthew Taylor. Individual team expertise varies by specific subject matter, and there is a high degree of overlap on those internal areas requiring larger volumes, with the intent of offering consistent and efficient review on matters presented by UTMB clients. Nathan is an honors graduate of Austin College, earned his JD from Baylor University, and an LLM in Health Law from The University of Houston. Nathan has been licensed to practice law by the Texas Bar since November 1998, holding different positions with both large and small firms, representing a wide-range of client matters during his career.

Associate Legal Officer

dmhaynes@utmb.edu(409) 266-0925

Donna is an Intellectual Property Attorney and supports the growth and strategic management of UTMB's IP portfolio, particularly in relation to sponsored research agreements, technology transfer, and other IP-related agreements. She has extensive experience in patent preparation and prosecution, legal counseling, and post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, with a strong emphasis on global portfolio management.

Donna earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center, where she served as Chief Articles Editor for The Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy and as a Board Member for the Blakely Advocacy Institute Moot Court team. She was honored with the University of Houston Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law Award for Distinguished Accomplishment and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. Donna also holds a B.S. in Biology, with university honors, from the University of Texas at Austin, where she specialized in Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Donna was admitted to practice in Texas and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.