Chrisine E. McKeeman, the first Executive Director of the Board of Disciplinary Appeals (BODA), passed away on August 4, 2026.  BODA honors Chris, her contribution to the Texas attorney discipline system, and her BODA legacy. 

When the Supreme Court of Texas created BODA in 1992, one of the first actions the new Board took was to hire Chris as Executive Director and General Counsel.  Chris was immediately charged with the task of coordinating with the Court and the new Board members to create a fully functioning and independent judicial body from the ground up.  Through Chris’s initiative and leadership, BODA developed its own procedural rules, which the Supreme Court of Texas approved, and developed processes to hear and decide six different types of cases, each with its own legal standard.  Chris built BODA the judicial tribunal, and she built BODA the judicial agency, which operates independently within the State Bar of Texas system. 

Christine took the fledgling Texas Board of Disciplinary Appeals from the obscurity and confusion of the Board’s creation to the Board’s prominence as the heart and soul of the Texas Disciplinary System.  She managed to, prominently, take input on, and shepherd the creation of, the first operating rules of the Board, at least a half dozen substantive rewrites of those rules, an unknown and contentious agency budgeting process for the Board, management of the sometimes larger than life persona of the various Board members while maintaining a close and  beneficial relationship with all elements of the Texas Disciplinary System and the Supreme Court of Texas, almost single-handedly. 

--Ben Selman, Board Chair 1999-2001, Board Member 1995-2001, 2006-12

From its inception until her retirement in 2020, for 28 years, Chris provided the legal judgment, administrative leadership, and institutional vision that helped transform a newly created tribunal into an established and essential component of the Texas attorney disciplinary system.

Chris was a pioneer, working diligently for 20+ years to establish the foundations of BODA and improve its functioning every year.  She did everything possible to promote the academic excellence, the independence, and integrity of BODA’s adjudications.  Chris made sure that proper procedures were implemented and followed.  Chris commanded enormous respect from the State Bar, the Commission on Lawyer Discipline, all respondents’ counsel, and the Texas Supreme Court.  

--Paul Clote, Board Chair 2007-08, Board Vice Chair 2006-07, Board Member 2002-08

Chris understood that the Board’s work requires more than a command of legal doctrine.  It requires careful attention to procedure, fairness, efficiency, communication, and the distinct interests of everyone affected by the disciplinary system.  She was deeply attentive to the rights of attorneys appearing before the Board while never losing sight of the Board’s responsibility to the public and to the integrity of the legal profession.  She set the standard and the tone appropriate for the institution, and she inspired dozens of members to maintain those standards during her tenure with BODA. 

She never lost sight of the delicate “balance” between the disciplinary system,  the respective rights (and responsibilities) of the various attorneys who practiced before the Board , the rights (and responsibilities) of the attorneys who were litigants in proceedings before the Board and the rights of the People of the State of Texas to be heard, fully and compassionately, in proceedings before the Board.

--Ben Selman, Board Chair 1999-2001, Board Member 1995-2001, 2006-12

She also understood that an effective tribunal depends upon the people who support it.  Chris built and led a professional staff capable of managing a substantial and often demanding workload while maintaining the high standards expected of an institution operating under the authority of the Supreme Court of Texas.  Chris hired excellent help, a Deputy Director and Executive Assistant.  She coordinated the staff and oversaw work, which included the disposition of over 60,000 matters.

I had the pleasure of working with Chris for 20 years.  She was not only my boss, she was also a dear friend.  Her calm demeanor was a constant presence that helped maintain a fair and balanced daily work environment.  I sought her advice on matters regularly, personally and professionally, even after she retired.  I am grateful to count her as a friend, and I will miss her dearly.

--Jackie Truitt, BODA Executive Assistant, 2000-Present

Chris established a culture of professionalism that remains part of BODA’s identity, a lasting legacy to the legal profession and the State of Texas.

Chris was the consummate General Counsel.  She was compassionate, yet kept me and the Board focused on what we could and could not do in our roles as Board members.  She knew the disciplinary rules and the disciplinary process so well that her advice was invaluable.

--David Kitner, Board Chair 2015-18, Board Vice Chair 2014-15, Board Member 2012-18

Under Chris’s stewardship, BODA personified the essence of self-regulation.  The Board is comprised of twelve attorneys appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to serve three-year terms.  Drawn from across the state and representing a wide range of professional experiences, practices, and perspectives, the Board’s members are accomplished leaders in the Texas legal profession—individuals accustomed to forming strong views and advocating vigorously for their positions.  In this environment, Chris earned the respect and admiration of Board members through her ability to bring together strong-willed individuals with differing perspectives, foster consensus without diminishing principled disagreement, and create a sense of cohesion around the Board’s duties and decisions.  Her legal judgment, preparation, patience, and steady leadership enabled the Board to work effectively as a collegial body, efficiently as a judicial tribunal, and carefully as an independent body entrusted by the Supreme Court to decide important matters.  

When asked about her service to BODA, former Board members always mentioned her kindness, as that was the thread she wove throughout BODA.

Chris was a very special person and it was my great pleasure to get to know her and work with her.  The world was a better place with Chris in it.

--Clark Lea, Board Chair 2009-13, Board Member 2007-13

Chris was a smart and caring person who helped the public and the profession in so many ways.

--Roland Johnson, Board Member 2013-2019

Chris was wonderful and will be missed. 

--Michael Gross, Board Vice Chair 2021-24, Board Member 2018-24

BODA’s staff and Board members past and present extend our remembrance and deepest gratitude to Chris for the legacy she leaves behind.  Her contributions to BODA, the legal profession, and the people of Texas endure, and her presence remains a part of the institution she helped form and so faithfully served.

I am so grateful for the service Chris provided to our state for so many years.

--The Honorable Debra Lehrmann, Supreme Court of Texas