Press Release 

Contact: 
Maggie Martin
Director, Marketing and Communications
O: 346-471-3428
maggiem@hba.org
    

Daniella Landers Sworn In As 2025-2026 President of the Houston Bar Association

Landers becomes the first African American woman to serve as HBA President in the organization’s 155-year history

(HOUSTON – May 16, 2025) – Houston attorney Daniella Landers took office as the 2025-2026 President of the Houston Bar Association at the HBA’s Annual Dinner on May 15. Landers succeeds David Harrell, partner at Troutman Pepper Locke LLP. 

In her Annual Dinner address to HBA members, President Landers laid out her presidential initiatives focused on three core components: People, Service, and Collaboration. These incorporate several projects President Landers planned for her Bar Year, which include: 

• Increasing membership through various programs to include a new section for solo practitioners and small law firms, as well as incentives for local and affinity bar members.
• Inviting HBA members to participate in two dedicated Service Days during the upcoming fall and spring, focused on giving back through events organized in collaboration with HBA committees and local partner organizations. 
• Providing opportunities to network and collaborate with allies and partners in the legal, business, and political communities.
• Serving as an educational platform to ensure members are well-informed of the issues and key developments impacting their practice, and hosting activities to promote the rule of law. 

“I want to ensure the HBA continues to engage with our members, the legal profession, the greater Houston community, and our non-legal allies and partners in meaningful ways,” said President Landers. “I created these goals with the HBA’s primary mission in mind: To serve the needs of Houston-area lawyers and enhance the legal profession. I look forward to serving as HBA President and working with the HBA Board of Directors, as well as our staff, members, and partners.”

President Landers has served on the HBA Board of Directors as first vice president, secretary, and for two terms as director. She has also served as vice chair of the Houston Bar Foundation, chair of the Dispute Resolution Center, president of the Houston Lawyer Referral Service, and chair of Houston Volunteer Lawyers. Additionally, she has co-chaired several HBA committees, including Communities In Schools, Law & the Media, AIDS Outreach, Judicial Polls, Membership, Lawyers for Literacy, CLE, Lawyers Against Waste (now Lawyers for a Beautiful Houston), Gender Fairness, and Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession (now Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).

President Landers has been dedicated to the legal profession and greater Houston community through her service to several professional and community organizations, including the Houston Lawyers Association, Women in Energy Network Houston Chapter, the Institute for Energy Law, the National Bar Association, the Center for Women in Law, the HAY Center Foundation, the Fort Bend County Chapter of the Links Inc., the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the Continentals Houston Chapter, and as a long-time member of the Houston Bar Association and Life Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation.

Other officers for the 2025-2026 Bar Year are Greg Ulmer of BakerHostetler LLP, president-elect; Collin Cox of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, first vice president; Robert Painter of Painter Law Firm PLLC, second vice president; Kaylan Dunn of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, treasurer; and Todd Frankfort of O’Neil Wysocki P.C., secretary. David Harrell will serve as immediate past president. Board directors are Keri Brown of Baker Botts L.L.P.; Carter Dugan of Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP; Greg Moore of Blank Rome LLP; Stephanie Noble of Vinson & Elkins LLP; Jeff Oldham of Bracewell LLP; Seepan V. Parseghian of Beck Redden LLP; Colin Pogge of Daly & Black, P.C.; and Samantha Torres of Camillo Companies. 

The Houston Bar Association also presented its President’s Awards to outstanding committees, sections, and individuals: 

Campaign to End Homelessness and Hunger (CEHH) Committee and Houston Volunteer Lawyers (HVL)
Co-Chairs: Deanna Willson and Darren Skyles
HVL Executive Director: Jessica Howton Stool

County Law Library Committee
Co-Chairs: Hon. Frances Bourliot and Hon. Julie Countiss
County Law Library Director: Andre Davison

Historical Committee 
Co-Chairs: Ryan Cunningham and Charles L. Sharman 

Houston Lawyer Referral Service (HLRS)
President: Hon. Cheryl Elliott Thornton
HLRS Executive Director: Karen Ramsey

Litigation Section
Chair: Sammy Ford IV

Exemplary Service and Long-Term Dedication to the HBA and HBF 
Travis J. Sales 

Chief Justice Kem Thompson Frost, former chief justice of the 14th Court of Appeals, was awarded the Justice Ruby Kless Sondock Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement and leadership for women in the law. 

Kevin Dubose, partner of Alexander Dubose & Jefferson, was awarded the Justice Eugene A. Cook Professionalism Award, the association’s highest award for professionalism. 

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The Houston Bar Association is a nonprofit professional organization for attorneys that provides education and service programs for the legal profession and the community. With over 10,000 members, the HBA is one of the largest metropolitan bar associations in the nation.