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Attorney Mediator

Strategic Counsel

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Publication

Mindful Lawyering: Incorporating Mindfulness into the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct
—by Lyda Creus Molanphy

Professional Highlights

  • Certified Mediator & Family Law Mediator
  • Licensed Attorney
  • Accomplished Entrepreneur
  • Community Leader
    Board Chair Capital Area Dental Foundation and
    Board Secretary Austin Outside
  • Honors graduate of St. Mary’s School of Law and Duke University

When challenges are inevitable and you can’t go it alone, Lyda is your trusted partner to catalyze meaningful solutions offering jet propulsion momentum. Calm, intuitive, and engaged, Lyda is a strategic powerhouse and dynamic partner that gets results.  

A veteran of Texas politics and policy, Lyda has more than 35 years of experience in the public, private and non-profit sector. This has led to a deep network of contacts as well as awards for creativity and exceptional professional service.  

Prior to forming Creus Counsel, Lyda led a successful full-service strategic business development practice serving a variety of clients with unique, customized services including launching and scaling operations, executive recruiting and coaching, organizational development and resilience, and project management for public issue campaigns.

Previously, Lyda was recruited to be high-level executive with the Texas Dental Association after serving as vice-president for one of the state’s most respected public affairs firms, representing Fortune 500 companies, law firms, banks, political campaigns and professional associations.

Read feature article highlighting Lyda’s nontraditional career journey.

Career
Highlights

  • Launched and scaled 501 c3 environmental nonprofit by leading national search for CEO, recruiting high-profile board members, establishing all operational and fundraising systems, institutionalizing programs, and leading strategic engagement initiatives across the state. 

  • Secured and implemented $250,000 grant for first-ever statewide advocacy report on oral health care in Texas, Building Better Oral Health: A Dental Home for all Texans; a three-year project involving impaneling clinical editorial review board, directing research, drafting and conducting national public relations initiative.

  • Appointed Interim Executive Director for Texas Dental Association (TDA) Smiles Foundation during merger, obtaining IRS 501c3 non-profit status, increasing grant funding, streamlining staff and board operations, recruiting and hiring of full-time director; under two-year tenure, Foundation’s endowment doubled to over $1 million.

  • Legislative advocacy for key statewide initiatives, including health care financing, insurance reform, scope of practice issues, legislation enabling the lottery in Texas, taxation on professional services, and regulation of natural resources.

  • Conducted political campaign strategy sessions in Spanish for successful presidential candidate in Paraguay, including message development, media/communications, fundraising, volunteer organizing, and voter turnout strategy.

  • Directed national press effort resulting in White House reversal of foreign policy that had prohibited the sale of American military aircraft to certain countries.

Awards

  • Austin Business Journal Profiles in Power Central Texas Women of Influence Nominee (2019)
  • Award of Merit (2010), International Association of Business Communicators
  • Presidential Citation (2009), American Dental Association
  • President’s Award (2007), Texas Dental Association
  • Service Recognition Award (2004), Texas Dental Association