Terry W. Hammond is the former Executive Director of the National Guardianship Association, for which he also previously served as past president and served on the Board of Directors for a decade. Mr. Hammond has been certified as a National Certified Guardian by the Center for Guardianship Certification and is a certified guardianship mediator. Mr. Hammond has also served on the Board of Directors for the Texas Guardianship Association and as chair of the Texas Guardianship Advisory Board.
Mr. Hammond serves as a consultant to guardianship programs and providers and as an expert witness in guardianship litigation throughout the United States, having been retained by the State of New Mexico, Washoe County, Nevada, Denton County, Texas, and a number of guardianship programs around the country (see www.goodguardianship.com).
Mr. Hammond first received statewide and national attention in 1998 when he successfully recovered several hundred thousand dollars from national relgious entities that had descended upon an elderly, incapacitated El Paso woman. It was evident in that case that the Texas Adult Protective Services system had failed to properly intervene to protect the client. From 1998 through 1995, Mr. Hammond worked with El Paso County Probate Judge Max Higgs to reform Texas APS. These efforts resulted in Governor Rick Perry issuing Executive Order RP 33, which reformed the Texas APS system. Mr. Hammond has since been featured in or interviewed by NBC Dateline, Money Magazine, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Associated Press, National Public Radio, and PBS, as well as numerous local and statewide television and radio reports and programs. Mr. Hammond has testified before the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging, the Texas Legislature and has been consulted by other state legislatures on guardianship and Adult Protective Services issues.
Terry is the son of Walter Barnett and Gwendolyn Lorene (Haynes) Hammond. He was born in Waco, Texas, and was raised in Bryan-College Station, Texas where he graduated from Bryan High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Education and Master of Arts Degree in History from Texas A&M University, and his Juris Doctorate Degree from Texas Tech University.
