About Us

Virginia Piper, Chairperson
A graduate of St. Mary's Law School and Texas Tech University, a Fellow of the College of the State Bar of Texas and member of the Bastrop County Mediation Services. For the past 16 years she has practiced law in Bastrop and surrounding counties, including divorce; child custody; child support; possession of children; modification of existing orders for child custody, child support and possession; property division; premarital agreements; grandparent rights; enforcement of prior orders; adoptions and parentage; probate; guardianship and various civil matters. For the past 14 years she has mediated civil cases and for the past 13 years she has mediated family law cases. Her office is located in the city of Bastrop, in close proximity to the court house, where areas are available for mediation.

Bebe Gaines, Vice Chair, Secretary
Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama came to Texas "as soon as I could". She spent most of her adult life working in Residential Treatment with deeply troubled children and their families. Trained as a mediator in the mid-nineties; she has completed training for basic, family law, victim/offender, juvenile and peer mediation. Most of her experience is with families, both in and after divorce. She married a local guy and has lived in Bastrop County since 1985.

Clifford K. (Cliff) Wright, Sr., Treasurer
Retired from the field of Finance and Accounting after 38 successful years in the public and private sector. Enjoys traveling with his wife and stays active in the community. Currently serves as President of his Homeowners Association, Sr. Arbitrator for Austin Better Business Bureau, Vice President of National Federation of Federal Employees Union, and Department of Veterans Affair Disability Program Manager.

Linn Lewis has been a mediator for ten years.  She is trained for general, as well as family law mediations.  She has worked in the field of education for 26 years--as a teacher and a school counselor.

Elizabeth L. Evans, B.A., M.NLP
Beginning as a high school Speech and English teacher Elizabeth spent fifteen years in the field of adult education, developing and teaching management and communication courses and managing training organizations.  She used the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory, in which she is certified, for staff development and mediation training for twelve years.  Six years as the Executive Director of The Texas Empowerment Network, a program devoted to the research and development of methods to reduce recidivism among young offenders.  After moving to Bastrop, she volunteered as a guardian ad litem for the Court Appointed Special Advocates for a number of years.  She has been teaching mediation since 1993. Elizabeth completed basic mediation training in 1992 with subsequent training in peer mediation, juvenile mediation, victim-offender mediation, 40-hour family (non-divorce) and family (divorce and custody) mediation.  She mediated in Houston and Bastrop for ten years and was a founding member of the Bastrop County Dispute Resolution Services

Stephen D. Jarrard
An Attorney trained in general and family law mediation. In 2009 he retired from the civil division of the Bastrop County District Attorney's Office and plays Guitarron (a Mariachi style bass guitar) in several musical groups. He and his wife have two grown children and live near Elgin, Texas.