Office of Travis County Judge
Andy Brown
Andy Brown serves as the Travis County Judge. He looks forward to making Travis County a safer community by investing in access to health care, including mental and behavioral health resources, and by improving access and transparency for county services.
Most recently, he served as finance director and senior advisor to Senate and Presidential candidate, Beto O’Rourke. Having worked extensively in Democratic politics in Texas, Brown served as a legislative aide to former Texas Speaker of the House Pete Laney and as campaign manager for Congressman Lloyd Doggett. He also served as the Travis County Democratic Party Chair from 2008 - 2013 where he helped dramatically increase voter turnout in 21 majority minority precincts in East Travis County.
Judge Brown grew up in Austin. He graduated from Colorado College and The University of Texas School of Law. He is fluent in Spanish and spent time living and working in Costa Rica, Honduras, Chile, and Argentina. He worked as an EMT after college, and clerked for a federal judge in McAllen, Texas, after law school. He is an experienced litigator from his time working at the law firm he started in 2011. He sits on the board of the Central Texas Media Foundation and is a recent past board member of The Sobering Center Austin, which he helped establish.
Judge Brown enjoys gardening and running around Lady Bird Lake with his family. He has a blackbelt in Taekwondo, and once received a bloody nose while sparring with a US Olympic Gold medalist. Judge Brown and his wife, Sara, have two children, Hattie and Franklin.
County Judge Staff
Chief of Staff
Kate Garza
(512) 854-9555
Kate Garza serves as Judge Brown's Chief of Staff. A lawyer, Kate started her career as a second-grade teacher and has worked in health, education, and labor over the past 20 years to give voice and build power to improve the lives of working people, children, and communities of color. Kate has worked for the United States Senate, House of Representatives, and the Departments of Education and Labor. In Austin, she served as senior counsel to Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza and then as Director of Advocacy & External Affairs for Ascension Seton.
Advisor
Malenie Areche Rodriguez
(512) 854-1124
Malenie Areche Rodriguez serves as Advisor to the Judge focusing on communications, policy, and community outreach work. Areche brings with her experience working as a political organizer, community organizer, and management consultant. Before joining the Travis County Judge's Office team, she's worked on the Julie Oliver for Congress 2020 campaign, Jose Garza for DA campaign, the Beto for Senate campaign, and at Accenture. Malenie graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor in Business Administration.
Agenda Coordinator
Elizabeth Medina
(512) 854-9229
Elizabeth currently serves as the Agenda Coordinator in Judge Brown's office. She has over 17 years of experience working for Travis County. Elizabeth started her career at the District Clerk’s office where she served as the Training and Education Coordinator and Liaison to the Family and Civil District Courts. A proud St. Edward’s graduate, she will receive her MBA in December 2021. She has deep ties in our community and has demonstrated servant leadership though her many volunteer efforts which include the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, Austin Chapter, where she previously served as Chair and where she received the prestigious Estrella award.
