Sanctuary & Sisterhood

Home
Governance

LEADERSHIP

Sarah Hayes

Executive Director

Sarah Hayes has been an associate at BakerHostetler LLP since 2019. Sarah’s practice focuses primarily on commercial litigation and labor and employment litigation matters. Sarah is a native Houstonian, raised in the Clear Lake area. Sarah graduated early with honors from the University of Louisiana at Monroe with two bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Spanish. Sarah then graduated from the University of Houston Law Center with a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2019. Sarah is dedicated to the advancement and promotion of Black attorneys in the legal profession. Sarah is an active member of the Houston Lawyers Association and is a board member of the Houston Lawyers Foundation. Sarah is a dog mom to her pup Mozzi. Sarah is a member of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Sarah runs a food blog in her spare time and loves dancing, fashion, and traveling.

Dominique Hawkins

Deputy Director

Dominique Hawkins serves as Legal Counsel at Repsol Renewables North America. She graduated from Texas A&M University in December 2016 with a B.A. in Political Science and a double minor in English and Sociology. Dominique furthered her education at the historic Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law where she obtained her Doctor of Jurisprudence in May 2020. At Thurgood Marshall School of Law, she served as Executive Editor of The Thurgood Marshall School of Law Journal on Race, Gender, and Justice. In her spare time, Dominique enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, and experiencing new restaurants. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Ashley Lewis

VP of Communication

Ashley Lewis is a labor & employment attorney at CenterPoint Energy in Houston, TX. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree, Cum Laude, from The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Mass Communications. In just three years at UAPB, Ashley managed to finish her undergraduate studies, co-found the George Doc Jones Debate Team, and become a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. She went on to obtain her Juris Doctor, with Magna Cum Laude honors, from Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law and became a licensed attorney for the state of Texas in 2022. Before and during her law school career she worked for the Harris County Attorney’s Office in the Protective Services Division where she focused on fighting for one of Houston’s most vulnerable populations. While at Thurgood, Ashley served as General Counsel to the Student Bar Association, received an academic scholarship for ranking in the top 10 percent of her class, and was a 2022 recipient of the Association of Women Attorneys Foundation Scholarship. In addition to her current practice, Ashley has experience in family law, criminal law, personal injury, and tax law.

Integrity, faith, and compassion for others leads Ashley in everything that she does. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling around the city, cheering on her hometown football team, the Denver Broncos, and spending time with her two nephews who are both named Darren.

Porscha Allen

VP of Celebration

Porscha Allen is an Assistant Public Defender at the Harris County Public Defenders Office. Porscha has been at this office for over 4 years, but has experience in criminal defense, employment law, disability rights, and civil rights matters. Porscha Allen is a Houston native and has lived here her entire life. Porscha graduated with Honors from the University of North Texas in 2016 and earned a degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Porscha obtained her Law degree from the University of Houston - Law Center in 2020 and became licensed that year. Porscha is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Porscha is also a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers and Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association. Porscha is dedicated to helping her community and dedicated her life to public service. In her free time, Porscha loves to spend time with family, friends, and loves to travel.

Morgan Morrow

VP of Community

Morgan is an Associate Attorney at Olson & Olson LLP in their property tax litigation group. She focuses her practice on advising and defending local government clients in ad valorem tax disputes involving residential and commercial properties along with related exemption matters. Prior to working at Olson & Olson LLP, Morgan was Acting General Counsel for a school district. She attended Texas State University where she obtained her B.A. in Political Science and a B.A in Spanish. She then sought and obtained her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center. During law school, Morgan served as President of the Black Law Students Association, General Administrative Editor for the Houston Business and Tax Law Journal, and was a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Team.

Jaylin Jackson

VP of Cultivation

Jaylin Jackson is a dedicated associate family law attorney at Walters Gilbreath PLLC. Jaylin graduated from the University of North Texas in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Development and Family Studies. In 2020, Jaylin earned a law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Jaylin exclusively practices family law, a field that requires both empathy and resilience. Jaylin began her career serving the families of Harris County as an Assistant County Attorney at the Office of the Harris County Attorney in the Child Welfare Division. Having transitioned to private practice from government practice, Jaylin has a unique wealth of knowledge and experience making her both a compassionate and skillful family law attorney. Jaylin is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the second oldest of seven children, and a dog mom to her beloved Pomeranian, Leo.

There are no DTG officers. Given the growth of its membership, however, DTG found it increasingly necessary to communicate and coordinate its activities in an effective way. Accordingly, the DTG Executive Director and Communications Director serve as representatives for DTG and are the primary contacts for DTG members. Since its inception, from 10 to more than 500 members today, Ruthie White (deceased) served as DTG Liaison Manager. In 2006, Ruthie recommended that the liaison manager become a rotating responsibility. The DTG Executive Director and Communications Director are primarily responsible for representing the organization with external groups and ensuring that communication to members is maintained, productive, and timely. In line with the founding goal of simplicity, DTG, which is largely an informal organization, uses informal channels of communication. Generally, the the DTG Executive Director and Communications Director are expected to:

Represent the organization in communications with external groups.
Attend DTG luncheons on a regular basis and report material updates back to the group.

Prepare occasional updates for the group and ensure appropriate and timely delivery to the appropriate destination.

Provide guidance to members to ensure that DTG activities are in line with the organization’s goals and purposes.