Marney Collins Sims

, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District

Marney Collins Sims is the general counsel for the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, the third largest school district in the state of Texas with over 17,000 employees and 117,000 students.  Ms. Sims has served in this role since 2005.

As general counsel, she advises school district personnel and the board of trustees regarding various matters, including open government laws, employment and disability laws, constitutional rights of students and employees, real estate acquisition and related development of real property, construction matters, as well as procurement and contracting.  Ms. Sims received Texas Monthly’s Rising Star award for young lawyers in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, and was a Texas General Counsel Forum Magna Stella Award finalist for Government & Non-Profit entities in 2016.  She currently serves as the Chair for the School Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, and previously served as its Treasurer, Vice Chair, Chair-Elect, as well as a Director and summer retreat planner. Prior to becoming the general counsel in CFISD, Ms. Sims was an associate in the School and Public Law Section of Bracewell, LLP. 

Ms. Sims graduated summa cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center, where she served as the senior articles editor on the Houston Law Review and a judicial intern for the Honorable Harold R. DeMoss, United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.