Complaint review committee recommends refusal of Sandra Evenson’s guardianship certification, $500 penalty

The Complaint Review Committee of the Guardianship Certification Advisory Board recommended on Oct. 21 that the commission permanently refuse to approve Sandra Evenson’s private professional guardianship certification and assess an administrative penalty of $500, after staff alleged she continued to act as a guardian following a prior revocation.

The recommendation follows a complaint filed March 25, 2025, by Melinda Sacedo, a compliance manager with the commission, alleging that Evenson continued to act as a certified guardian after the commission revoked her certification in August 2023. Staff reported finding a violation of commission rule 7.2(a)(1), that the respondent did not submit an answer or return calls or emails, and that the committee should recommend a permanent refusal and the $500 penalty due within 12 months after the final order.

The committee discussed enforcement limits and local impacts. A staff member said, “The only thing we can do, your honor, is to refuse to renew or and or issue an administrative penalty.” A committee member who said they had been on the commission when the revocation occurred acknowledged a personal connection to some of the underlying guardianships and said they would recuse from a final vote but indicated agreement with the recommendation. That committee member described the caseloads Evenson had handled as “exceedingly difficult” and said, “She wanted to do a good thing ... and was simply not able to keep up with all of it and actually work,” noting a broader shortage of available guardians in the state.

Staff told the committee that, to the commission’s knowledge, Evenson’s active guardianships were in Bexar County and that Bexar County probate courts had been notified of the revocation and were removing Evenson from cases and identifying successor guardians or guardian ad litem assessments. Staff reported that, to its knowledge, Evenson had been removed from all of her cases in Bexar County. The commission packet also shows the last commission contact from Evenson on April 24, 2023; an earlier email exchange from Aug. 9, 2024, appears in the packet. Staff also noted a LinkedIn profile listing Evenson as a senior human resources coordinator at Wellcentral Health in San Antonio.

Committee members asked about monetary amounts referenced in the packet. One committee member recalled prior amounts and enforcement difficulties, noting that pursuing monetary collection could “require jumping through a number of hoops” and might cost more staff resources than warranted. The committee discussed but did not identify additional counties where Evenson might have active matters; staff said Bexar County was the one county they could confirm.

After discussion, Jamie McClain, chair of the complaint review committee, moved to accept staff’s recommendation to permanently refuse issuance of Evenson’s private professional guardianship certification and assess a $500 administrative penalty due within 12 months of the final order. The motion was seconded and carried. By roll call, four voting members recorded “aye” and one member, Judge Spencer, recused; the committee stated that the recommendation will be forwarded to the JVCC for further action.

The committee also selected a member to attend the JVCC meeting on Feb. 6, 2026; Judge Spencer volunteered to attend. Committee staff said they are considering dates for a future meeting and hoped to schedule an investigation-related item in January, though they did not expect it to be ready for the February JVCC agenda.