The Theresa Awards Honor Mary Alice Jackson!

This year at the Theresa Awards, The Theresa Foundation is proud to recognize Mary Alice Jackson, Esq. as one of the 2015 honorees. According to her friends, Mary Alice is a tireless advocate for access to justice for all clients, especially those with special needs. She is empathetic, creative and intelligent in her approach to represent her clients. She goes the extra mile time after time for her clients. Mary Alice brings joy to those she meets. She has an energy that radiates from her. You know immediately that she cares about people, especially those who are disadvantaged.

Mary Alice is licensed in Florida and Texas, where she practices elder law and special needs planning, including estate planning for individuals with disabilities and their families. She is board certified in elder law in Florida, where she served as chair of the elder law section and president of the Sarasota County Bar Association. She is a fellow of NAELA, received the Powley Award for her public service and holds an AV+ rating from Martindale Hubble. In private practice now in Austin, Texas, she is a member of the Texas Chapter of NAELA, serves on the NAELA public policy steering committee, and is a member of the Special Needs Alliance where she serves on its Board of Directors and its public policy committee.

She is a long-term adjunct for Stetson’s College of Law, currently teaching LLM in Elder Law. Mary Alice received the Reece Smith Public Service Award from the College of Law in recognition of her pro bono service. She is also a sought-after speaker and author.

Among her numerous accomplishments, Mary Alice has one of those rare personalities; when you are in her presence, she makes you want to be a better person. She is smart, funny, hard-working, quick witted, ready to help at the drop of a hat, and has a heart the size of Texas. We are honored to have her as one of the Theresa award recipients this year so we can celebrate all she has done and continues to do for people with disabilities.

You can support the Theresa Awards Dinner by making a donation here.  Please note that the journal closes April 10, 2015.  For more information, please call Kirrelle Freeman or Melanie Castillo at 516-683-1717.