Rev. Yulise Reaves Waters, Esq.

The Reverend Yulise Reaves Waters, Esq. is a proven bridge builder whose legal advocacy on behalf of the marginalized has received national acclaim. She is the Chief Innovations Officer at Lone Star Justice Alliance (LSJA), a nonprofit legal organization that works to boldly address systemic failures in the justice system through advocacy and innovative evidence-based programs that improve life outcomes for youth and emerging adults. Formerly, as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Dallas, Waters co-founded the Second Chance Community Improvement Program (SCCIP) in 2014 which became the first-ever felony community court in Dallas County and the first-ever young adult court in the State of Texas. Under her leadership, SCCIP was awarded the 2018 National Association of Drug Court Professionals’ Equity and Inclusion Award for “excellence and leadership in demonstrating and promoting cultural proficiency in treatment court services.”

 

Committed to empowering the next generation and creating pathways for opportunities and systems changes, Rev. Atty. Waters, in partnership with the City of Dallas, and the National League of Cities, led the establishment of the 2024 Dallas Youth Safety Collaborative to redefine community safety and develop a strategic plan for youth safety under the Municipalities ReImagining Community Safety Initiative. She also led LSJA’s Opportunity Youth landscape analysis, which served as the basis for establishing North Texas’ first reengagement center for opportunity youth, with a focus on Justice-Involved Opportunity Youth (JOYs, a term Waters coined). Waters is a certified SAMHSA GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation trainer in How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses.

 

For her visionary work and commitment to a greater civic voice and leadership impact for women, Rev. Atty. Waters holds invitation-only memberships in The Dallas Summit and The Charter 100. She is also a member of the Inaugural Emerging Leader Board at the Dedman School of Law, which recognizes graduates over the last twenty years who have “a strong record of leadership in the legal profession and a proven commitment to public service.” A sought-after speaker, Rev. Atty. Waters has received numerous honors for her leadership and service including Who’s Who in Black Dallas, the City of Dallas’ Wall of Honor for meritorious service to the citizens of Dallas, the Dallas Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” honor, the Southern Methodist University Black Alumni’s History Maker Award, their highest honor, the Outstanding Leader Award of the Prairie View A&M University Ministers’ Conference, the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation Peace Champion Award, and Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law’s Distinguished Alumni Emerging Leader Award.

 

D Magazine has featured Rev. Atty. Waters among the “78 Women Who Make Dallas Great,” and she is the recipient of the prestigious ProtectHer Award which “celebrates individuals, corporations, and other entities who exhibit exceptional support of women and children locally, nationally, or internationally.” Due to her extraordinary record of legal service, Rev. Atty. Waters has received the distinct honor of being barred to practice law before the United States Supreme Court in March 2025. She earned B.A. degrees in English and in Spanish, a B.B.A., and a Juris Doctorate, all from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She is wonderfully married to the Reverend Dr. Michael W. Waters. They are the proud parents of four children: Jeremiah, Hope, Liberty, and Justice.