board of directors

Randy Burton

Chairman and Founder / Partner, FisherBroyles, LLP

Randy Burton founded Justice for Children in May of 1987 and currently serves as President of the organization. Mr. Burton was working as an assistant District Attorney in Harris County when it came to his attention that the legal system was not doing enough to help abused children. He has been featured on many major television shows, such as ABC’s Good Morning America, Primetime Live, and CNN’s Nancy Grace Show, and has received numerous awards for his work with Justice for Children. Randy Burton is a partner at the national law firm of FisherBroyles, LLP. In 2014, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Swansea University for his child advocacy work and his contributions to the Wales (International) Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young People. 

D.C. Gila

Jury Consultant

D.C. Gila, Ph.D. first consulted with Founder / President Randy Burton in August of 1995 and soon joined the JFC Board and Executive Committee. She has earned a B.S., M.S. and various certifications; noteworthy is her post-doctorate certification in Adlerian Psychology. Dr. Gila is a Jury Consultant who has traveled nationally and internationally in her work. She is a counselor, speaker and s a professor, she taught undergraduates, adults, and was an Adjunct Professor at South Texas College of Law.She has received the Justice for CHildren Decade Service Award, ad has been honored by the Houston Trail Lawyers Association for her may efforts in the Preservation of The Civil Justice System.

howard hill

Investment Advisor / Author

Mr. Howard Hill is a long-time supporter of Justice for Children (JFC), as well as our 2005 Harvey R. Houck, Jr. Award Recipient. Graduating from Yale with a mathematics degree, Mr. Hill is a part-time “guru” for a Yahoo investment message board and is regarded as one of the leaders in the securitization industry, credited with a number of innovations in the marketplace. His career on Wall Street includes the founding of departments at four Primary Dealers, including the establishment of the global Securitized Products Department for Deutsche Bank, the MBS Department of Daiwa Securities, the Mortgage Finance Department of UBS Securities and the Financial Strategies Group of Prudential Securities. Mr. Hill is also the author of a new book on the mortgage market collapse entitled Finance Monsters.

lee slataper

Texas HealthSpring (ret)

Lee Slataper joined the Board in January 2009. Mr. Slataper is currently retired, having spent 30 years in the health care industry. Mr. Slataper recently worked as Vice President at Gulfquest, LLC, the management company for Renaissance Physician Organization and Texas HealthSpring, both Houston health care organizations. Mr. Slataper also worked in hospital administration for 17 years in the greater Houston area. Mr. Slataper received his BBA from Baylor University in 1974 and his MS in Health Care Administration from Trinity University in 1976.

michael l.f. slavin

CEO / Bulldog Exploration Company

Michael L. F. Slavin joined the Board in August 2008. Mr. Slavin is President of U.S. Emerald Energy Company, LP, an oil and gas exploration and production company he founded in 1992. Mr. Slavin has served as Vice President of Sweeney & Tebo Interests, CEO of First Title of Houston, and Executive Vice President of an independent oil company. In the U.S. Army, he served as a commander of two aviation units, Department of the Army staff member, general’s aide, and aide to the President of the United States. Mr. Slavin is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, holds an M.S. in Management from Troy State University, and is a past president of the West Point Society of Houston.

nick slavin

Attorney / Managing Partner, EES Ventures

Nick Slavin joined the Board in January 2012. Mr. Slavin is co-founder of Bulldog Exploration, LP, an oil and gas exploration company focusing onshore in Texas and Louisiana, and author of Investing in Oil and Gas Wells. Previously, he was a corporate attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Fulbright & Jaworski LLP. Mr. Slavin is an investor in and advisor to early-stage energy technology companies, and writes and speaks on entrepreneurship, corporate governance, and other business topics. He holds a B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Yale University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

the reverend bob tucker, D. min.

Executive Director / Foundation for Contemporary Theology

Reverend Tucker joined the Board in 2007 but has been a part of Justice for Children since Mr. Burton founded the organization. He has served churches as the Senior Minister in South Dakota and Houston and was Senior Minister at First Congregational Church in Houston for 28 years. In retirement, he has served as a member of the faculty of the Houston Graduate School of Theology. He also taught courses at Rice University’s School of Continuing Education and the Women’s Institute and is currently the Executive Director of the Foundation for Contemporary Theology. Rev. Tucker holds graduate degrees from the University of Chicago, the University of Minnesota, and the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.

voltaire sterling

Actor / Advisory Board

Voltaire Sterling joined the Board in June 2012. Mr. Sterling is an actor and community leader, and from 2007-2010 was Chairman of Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, a non-profit organization established by actor Hill Harper focused on empowering underserved youth. Mr. Sterling has also been an adjunct professor at West Los Angeles College, where he taught Constitutional Law and business classes, and an attorney with Loeb & Loeb LLP. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Morehouse College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was a commencement speaker, won the Dean’s Award for community leadership, and was elected Head Class Marshall.

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Justice for Children provides guidance through the legal and judicial processes, assists in court watch, and advocates on behalf of children to law enforcement and other governmental agencies. JFC connects individuals with legal resources including pro bono attorneys and helps with protective orders. Justice for Children JFC is also involved in a variety of legal research projects and has contributed to amicus briefs, researching legal issues and providing data on important legal issues affecting the rights of abused children.

Justice for Children assists and refers several thousand callers annually through the complicated and unsympathetic maze of governmental agencies established to protect abused children. Advocating for an abused or neglected child takes on many different forms of participation and involvement. These include researching and gathering supporting documentation; reviewing supporting documentation; referring persons to professionals; guiding them through the legal and judicial process; providing legal assistance with protective orders; initiating child abuse investigations; serving as a liaison to law enforcement and other governmental agencies; generating advocacy correspondence and amicus briefs; acting as facilitator of professional services; court watch; and providing pro bono legal representation and connecting persons with attorneys.

Justice for Children has proposed and drafted legislation to improve the laws pertaining not only to child abuse and child protection, but also laws concerning the funding for protective services. We have also presented legislation designed to make the legal process more child-friendly. Additionally, because of its experience in this area, Justice for Children receives numerous requests to provide testimony regarding various pieces of legislation around the country.

Justice for Children has traditionally provided information and materials to combat child abuse and to educate the public of the signs and symptoms of child abuse or neglect in its efforts to interrupt its dismal cycle. In 2012, it is initiating a project called “Just in Time”, to develop a series of informational and instructional modules to be placed on its website. Each is designed specifically to aid a field on the front lines of identifying and re-mediating child abuse: the community, medical first responders, school personnel, pediatricians, court personnel, and counseling professionals.

We seek to collaborate with other concerned national and community leaders, professionals, institutions, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies to further a common goal of solving the deficiencies in our present child protective systems. By expanding our relationships within the community and on a national level, we are working to create a system that will effectively handle a child’s initial report of abuse, provide immediate safety, and ultimately, prosecute and convict the child abuser.

Justice for Children’s expert opinion continues to be recognized and valued by local and national media, legal and medical professionals, child abuse experts, and various other children’s rights organizations. We have been featured on ABC’s Primetime Live, ABC’s prime-time documentary entitled ‘Crimes Against Children,’ a PBS documentary entitled ‘Boy Crying, Baby Crying,” as well as appearances on Good Morning America, Donahue, the Discovery channel’s “Justice Files,’ HBO and in 2011, the BBC.