Current Staff
Danalynn Recer
Danalynn Recer began fighting the death penalty in Texas two decades ago, working initially as an investigator and later as an attorney with the Texas Resource Center. In 1995, she moved to New Orleans to work with Clive Stafford Smith at the Louisiana Crisis Assistance Center, nationally known for its aggressive and creative capital trial representation. While there, she participated in a dozen capital trials, secured life pleas for another 8 clients, and directed the Jefferson Parish Project, a consulting team that worked with the highest volume indigent defenders in Louisiana to reduce the number of death sentences there. In 2002, when Calvin Burdine was returned to Harris County (Houston, Texas) for retrial, Danalynn stepped in on a pro bono basis and founded the Gulf Region Advocacy, or “GRACE” in the process. Today, GRACE provides direct representation, consulting services and mitigation services to indigent capital defendants, as well as training and education to capital defenders around the country. Over the past twenty years, Danalynn has participated in the defense of over one hundred capital clients in all stages of litigation in state and federal courts in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, Tennessee, North Dakota, Florida, Kansas, California and Nevada. She holds a B.A., M.A. and J.D. from the University of Texas.
Trang Tran is our invaluable bookkeeper. She keeps GRACE running and the lights on. Trang came to GRACE from a non-profit in Seattle and has been here since 2010.
Danalynn Recer
