Earl Carl Institute Staff
Sarah R. Guidry, Executive Director, is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. Ms.
Guidry has worked in the public interest arena most of her career. She has served
as an adjunct professor in Trial Simulation and Appellate Litigation. She was previously
the East Texas Regional Managing Attorney for Disability Rights Texas where she represented
disabled persons in various discrimination matters. In her position there she also
provided representation to persons denied health care in the Harris County Jail, TYC
facilities, and other facilities housing persons with mental disabilities. Ms. Guidry
previously held positions with the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).
At DFPS, Ms. Guidry was the supervising attorney of the statewide Special Litigation
Unit which handled the most complex cases in the agency, both in jury trials and on
appeal. She was also a Special Projects Attorney and in that role created statewide
standardized training and best practice materials for social workers, prosecutors
and judges, as well as providing legislative analysis to bills that would potentially
impact agency litigation. Ms. Guidry began her work in the public interest arena as
a legal aid staff attorney and subsequently Supervising Attorney at Coastal Bend Legal
Services. She has authored numerous CLE articles as well as authored several chapters
for SBOT Family Law Expert Witness Manual.
Phone: 713.313.1321
Email: Sarah.Guidry@tmslaw.tsu.edu
Kelley L. Austin currently serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Civil Advocacy at the
Earl Carl Institute for Legal & Social Policy. In this capacity, Mrs. Austin supervises
the Opal Mitchell Lee Property Preservation Project which provides free legal services
to low-income Texans who are facing potential land loss by helping economically disadvantaged
communities to retain and grow wealth and to ensure housing stability. She earned
a Bachelor of Art from Southwest Texas State University where she majored in Political
Science/Pre-Law with a minor in Spanish and then went on to graduate, Cum Laude, from
Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Mrs. Austin has served
as an Adjunct Professor in First Year Property, Real Estate Transactions, Property
Preservation and Lawyering Process. Prior to joining ECI, Mrs. Austin worked extensively
on matters involving toxic torts, product liability, property disputes, bankruptcy
and debt reorganization, and various other areas of civil litigation. She has served
as court appointed counsel for the Harris County Tax and Probate courts, Fort Bend
County Criminal Courts and Texas Board of Pardons and Parole. Mrs. Austin was a member
of the City of Sugar Land’s Land Use Advisory Council which was responsible for the
creation of the City of Sugar Land’s current land use plan. She is a member of Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Sugar Land Chapter of Jack and Jill of America,
Inc.
Phone: 713.313.1185
Email: Kelley.Austin@tmslaw.tsu.edu
Cheri A. Abbage currently serves as the Associate Director for Special Projects & Student Development
at the Earl Carl Institute for Legal & Social Policy, Inc. In this capacity, she
oversees the recruitment of law students, other volunteers, and interns as well as
other special projects of the Earl Carl Institute. She earned her Juris Doctorate
from The University of Texas School of Law where she was a member and officer of the
Thurgood Marshall Legal Society, and the Texas Journal of Women and the Law. She earned
her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin, and she
also earned a Master of Arts in Communications with emphasis in Education from Grand
Canyon University. Cheris’ legal career began in the area of family law and public
interest law. She has worked for the Legal Aid Society of Lubbock as well as several
nonprofits where she served as a Staff Attorney for the Family Violence Project in
New York City, and Executive Director of a Children’s Advocacy Center in Arkansas.
Immediately prior to joining the Earl Carl Institute, Cheri was a high school teacher,
and adjunct professor in the areas of Government and Communications.
Email:Cheri.Abbage@tsu.edu
Andreience Fields serves as the Division Business Administrator. Andreience is from the small town
of Brazoria, Texas who received a degree in paralegal studies in 2002. Since then,
she has worked as an administrative professional for over 20 years in the legal field.
Her tenure at Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, started
in 2009 as a contract paralegal working with staff attorneys in the Opal Mitchell
Lee Property Preservation Project. Later, she became the admin for the entire Earl
Carl Institute department. Andreience managed the offices of the Urban Research and
Resource Center, a policy-based research department created by Professor Marcia Johnson
in partnership with the School of Public Affairs. In March of 2019, Andreience began
working with the Office of Admission at the law school and became the Interim Assistant
Director in 2020. During her time as assistant director, she spoke on many recruiting
panels and worked with the other five HBCU law schools to create a collective called
HBCUs which helped educate African American and other minority students on how to
navigate the application process and properly prepare for law school.
Outside of assisting with legal files and documents, Andreience used her proofreading and editing knowledge to help produce law school textbooks for two law school courses, articles, publications, training manuals, and employee procedure booklets for other Houston area organizations.
The law school’s motto of “Protect it… Improve it… Pass it on” is more than just words to her; they are words to live by.
Gloria Suarez serves as Community Engagement Specialist for the Institute. Ms. Suarez’s role is to promote the Institute’s profile through public relations and community outreach. Ms. Suarez is a native Houstonian. She graduated from Channelview High School in 2004. She attended San Jacinto College Central Campus and the Center for Advanced Legal Studies where she graduated with her Associates of Applied Science and Paralegal Certificate. Ms. Suarez’s passion has always been to help others in her community. She previously worked at the NAACP Houston Branch as a legal program paralegal/coordinator. Ms. Suarez enjoys working to help communities of color and other traditionally disenfranchised populations. It is her passion to help people who need assistance with their legal problems.
Phone: 713.313.4874
Email:Gloria.Suarez@tmslaw.tsu.edu