Biography

Ballesteros serves as the Cybersecurity Advisor for the Capitol Region of Texas, for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA). Prior to that he served the State of Texas, as the State Cybersecurity Coordinator and Chairman of the Texas Cybersecurity Council, at the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR), pursuant to Texas Government Code, Section 2054.511 and 512, where his primary charge was to “oversee cyber matters” for the State of Texas.

Prior to joining the DIR, Ballesteros‘ career spanned several industries, including: academia; financial services; private consulting; and public utilities. Of note, his prior professional roles included the following: Information Security Officer for the Alamo Colleges District, Information Security Officer (ISO) at Jefferson Bank; Information Security Consultant at Omnikron Systems, Inc; Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems and Security (CISS) at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU); Director of the Center for Information Assurance Management and Leadership at OLLU; and Information Systems Auditor for CPS Energy.

Academically, Ballesteros holds several degrees and professional certifications pertaining to cybersecurity, law, management information systems, and risk management. He holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Computer Information Systems and Security (CISS) from OLLU; an NSA/DHS designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE). Additionally, Ernesto completed his legal education at St. Mary’s University School of Law, where he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD). Lastly, Ballesteros is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and CompTIA Security+ professional.

Biography

Aaron M. Barton is a Member at Branscomb Law in the firm’s Real Estate Group. Aaron has been practicing in the area of real estate law for over a decade, representing businesses, title companies, developers, lenders, and individuals in a wide variety of business, financing, leasing, and real estate transactions.

Prior to joining Branscomb Law, Aaron also represented title insurers and businesses in real estate litigation matters. This experience has assisted Aaron in delivering legal services to his clients with an eye to avoiding litigation, and structuring transactions to better protect clients in the event a dispute arises in the future.

Aaron has been a practicing faculty member at St. Mary’s University School of Law since 2012, and graduated from the School of Law in 2007. Aaron enjoys giving back to the Law School by sharing his knowledge and practical expertise with the law students to prepare them for practicing in the “real world.”

• Texas Super Lawyer (Real Estate), Thomson Reuters, 2022

Presentations

• Purchase and Sale of Commercial Real Property (TX), LexisNexis Practical Guidance Practice Note (2021)

Biography

Coltharp’s (J.D. ’97) areas of interest include criminal law and procedure, punishment and incarceration policy, sentencing la and procedure, legal history, capital punishment, and appellate advocacy, and evidence. She has presented on these subjects nationally. In addition, she has been interviewed and quoted both locally and nationally about the immigration crime and punishment on the southern border.

Before coming to St. Mary’s, Coltharp served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Phil Hardberger, of the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals, and then to United States District Court Judge Edward Prado. She then moved to the Federal Public Defender’s Office, where she worked as appellate counsel and eventually became First Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Texas. She served on the National Defenders’ Supreme Court Advocacy Assistance Program and was co-chair of the National Association of Defender Services Amicus Committee. In both capacities, she has drafted briefs and contributed substantial work to many significant cases argued in the Supreme Court.

Coltharp has taught courses in legal research and writing, Texas Criminal Procedure, Criminal Evidence, and Constitutional Criminal Procedure. Her current scholarship is focused on judicial prejudice assessments for ineffective assistance of counsel.

Biography

Ciolli is a past President of the Virgin Islands Bar Association. He currently serves as Senior Law Clerk and Special Assistant to the Chief Justice of the Virgin Islands. He remains active in both the Virgin Islands Bar Association as well as the American Bar Association, where he serves as one of the Virgin Islands delegates to the ABA House of Delegates. He also serves on the Executive Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents.

Biography

Conlon has been managing compliance issues with in-house legal departments for over 20 years. He began his career in international telecom navigating Foreign Corrupt Practices Act issues. After the Enron accounting scandal, Conlon built compliance programs at 3Com, Underwriters Laboratories and Integrated DNA Technologies with a focus on developing internal controls. He has developed and delivered compliance training all over the world.

More recently, Conlon has managed export compliance issues with controlled technology and managed the privacy issues of minors. At ACT, Conlon manages the Legal Department’s extern program and its Intellectual Property program.

Biography

Prior to assuming the bench, Judge Ezra was in private practice in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1972 to 1988, becoming a partner in the law firm of Anthony, Hoddick, Reinwald, and O’Connor in 1980. He became the Managing Partner of the law firm of Ezra, O’Connor, Moon and Tam in 1981.

Judge Ezra was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii in 1988, becoming the youngest federal judge in Hawaii history, and was the longest-serving active federal judge in Hawaii’s history. Judge Ezra took Senior Judicial status in 2012. He has handled complex litigation matters in Hawaii, and by designation of the Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit and the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, in many districts throughout the country. Judge Ezra is currently serving by designation on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division. He carries a full caseload, hearing cases both in the San Antonio and Austin Divisions of the Western District of Texas.

Judge Ezra was elected by the judges of the Ninth Circuit to a three-year term as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States, which governs the operations of the Federal Judiciary (2002-2005). Judge Ezra was appointed and served on the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System and was its long-range planning chairman. In 2010, Judge Ezra was appointed to the Council on Budget and Finance of the Judicial Conference of the United States. He continues to be designated to serve on federal courts both within and outside the Ninth Circuit, particularly in complex cases and is often designated to sit on the Court of Appeals.

• University of Hawaii Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award, 2013
• Rosewood Gavel Award, St. Mary’s University, 2007
• Lifetime Achievement Award, St. Mary’s University School of Law, 2013
• Distinguished Law Graduate, St. Mary’s University School of Law, 2017

Biography

Tom currently serves as an Assistant City Attorney in the Regulatory Division of the San Antonio City Attorney’s Office where he advises City staff and officials in various areas of municipal law. Prior to joining the San Antonio City Attorney’s Office, Tom was a judicial clerk for the Honorable N. Carlton Tilley, Senior District Court Judge for the Middle District of North Carolina in Greensboro. He also practiced defense litigation in North Carolina and later worked as in-house counsel for a Texas employee benefit plan administrator.

During law school, Tom served as Editor-in-Chief of the Wake Forest Law Review and as a member of the Moot Court Board. Tom attended UNC-Chapel Hill on a Morehead-Cain Scholarship—a full merit scholarship recognizing leadership, integrity, and academic excellence. He was also one of two students in North Carolina selected for a United States Senate Youth Scholarship. Tom lives in San Antonio with his wife Zoe.