Tyler, TX

Deborah Pullum is the City Attorney of the City of Tyler, Texas.  She provides a wide variety of legal oversight, counsel, transactional, and litigation-related services to her municipal clients, including the City Council and City Manager, executive and departmental staff, and City boards and commissions. Ms. Pullum is licensed to practice law in both state and federal court.

Ms. Pullum was appointed City Attorney for the City of Tyler in May 2013 and has been a part of the City’s legal team since November 2004.  Prior to her employment with the City, Ms. Pullum served as an Assistant District Attorney for Smith County, Texas. 

Ms. Pullum was twice appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to the Board of Disciplinary Appeals, from 2014-2017 and from 2017-2020. She also served as President of the Smith County Bar Association (2016–2017) and is an active member of the local bar, the Texas City Attorneys Association, and the Texas International Municipal Lawyer’s Association. She has been a member of the Texas Bar College since 2011, and in July 2018 she was selected to attend the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government course.

Ms. Pullum earned her law degree from the College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law, in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1996, and she graduated with honors from the School of Business and Industry at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida.

Deputy City Attorney, Steven M. Kean began his employment with the City of Tyler on December 21, 1989.

His current primary department clients and responsibilities are Airport, Building Services, Code Enforcement, Communications, Development Services, Engineering, Fire, Planning and Zoning, and Streets. Upon request from these clients he handles legal research, contract review, ordinance drafting and subpoenas.

Mr. Kean is a past participant in the City’s prior Tyler Apprentice Program, served on the original Board of Regents for City University, is a graduate of the City of Tyler Leadership Academy, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Tyler Firemen's Pension Board. He is a recipient of the Texas City Attorney Association's 2010 Galen Sparks Award for outstanding public service as well as the City of Tyler Blueprint Award for service excellence.

In 1983, Mr. Kean earned a B.A. from Auburn University with a Political Science major and a History minor. He obtained his law degree from Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama in 1986.

Alesha is a Tyler native who graduated from John Tyler High School in 1997. She attended Stephen F. Austin State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. In 2004, she graduated with her Juris Doctor degree from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (now known as Texas A&M School of Law). While awaiting the State Bar Exam results, she worked as an Admissions Recruiter with Texas Wesleyan University School of Law.  In 2005, she returned to Tyler to practice family, probate, juvenile, and criminal defense law with Stephen Hubbard, P.C. She also worked as a Contract Prosecutor with the City of Tyler Municipal Court. In 2006, she began working as an Associate Attorney with Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins & Mott, LLP, and was promoted to Partner in 2012. For fourteen years, she represented numerous governmental entities in East Texas in the collection of ad valorem taxes, court collections, and other governmental receivables.

Since becoming a licensed attorney in 2008, Ms. Earley has dedicated her skills to serving the East Texas area. She joined the City of Tyler legal team in January 2021. Prior to joining the City, she served the City of Lufkin Municipal Court for almost a decade as the Presiding Judge and Magistrate.

Before taking the bench, she practiced law with Haglund Law Firm, P.C. During her practice she represented collegiate and school district clients on matters ranging from contracts to immigration. 

In 2004, Ms. Earley earned her B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Texas Southern University. She obtained her law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2008.

Ms. Earley has also dedicated her time and talents to contribute to the community in other aspects. She has served as the TMCEC Region VIII Director, as a board member for The East Texas Cancer Alliance, Angelina County Coalition, Family Crisis Center of East Texas, United Way, as well as Deep East Texas Boys & Girls Club. She is a member of the Angelina County Bar Association, Texas Young Lawyers Association, and several State Bar of Texas Sections.

Assistant City Attorney James Craig is our Municipal Court Prosecutor and handles the Misdemeanor cases for the City of Tyler.  Mr. Craig comes to Tyler after prosecuting felonies in Athens and also serving as a CPS Prosecutor.  Prior to coming  to East Texas, Mr. Craig worked in Tahoka and Sweetwater as a small town practitioner and also a County Attorney for Lynn County. 

City Clerk, Cassandra Brager, TRMC, began her employment with the City of Tyler on September 9, 1999. Prior to working for the City of Tyler she was employed with the City of Overton for 11 years. Cassandra is a past participant of the City's prior Tyler Apprentice Program, and graduated from the City of Tyler Leadership Academy with honors. Cassandra graduated from the Texas Municipal Clerk's Certification program in January 2019.

City Clerk duties are serving as clerk to the City Council, including the preparation of minutes, processing of ordinances, resolutions, legal notices and publications. Other City Clerk duties include administering a records management and retention program, and conducting city elections in accordance with City Charter and Texas Election Law provisions.

Vanessa Carreno-Solis has lived in Tyler, TX since 2002 and graduated from John Tyler in 2011. She attended Tyler Junior College where she earned her Associate of Arts degree in Government and transferred to The University of Texas at Tyler where she graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Political Science and minored in Pre-Law in 2021. Vanessa worked in the healthcare industry before joining the City of Tyler Legal team in July 2022. She is planning to attend law school to earn a JD law degree. 

Chris Cambra began his employment with the City of Tyler in May 2023, where his main role is to provide support to all the attorneys in the Legal department as well as to the City Clerk. Chris comes from a 20+ year career in Wholesale Automotive and Sales bringing a leadership and managerial background. Chris has found success in motivating people to be autonomous and lead their own career path.  Chris is planning to go back to school this Fall to get his degree in Paralegal Studies.