The nine member Texas Board of Criminal Justice (TBCJ) is appointed by the governor to oversee the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), which provides confinement, supervision, rehabilitation, and reintegration of the state’s convicted felons. The board members, who are appointed for staggered, six-year terms, are responsible for hiring the executive director of the department and setting rules and policies which guide the agency. TBCJ members also serve as the Board of Trustees for the Windham School District within the Department of Criminal Justice. In this capacity, they are responsible for providing general oversight and the hiring of the school system’s superintendent.
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Oliver J. Bell, Chairman
(Term expires 2/2015) was appointed to the Board in February 2004; was elected as Vice-Chairman in January 2008 and was appointed as Chairman in April 2008. Mr. Bell is a member of the Audit and Review, Health Care, Human Resources, Legal, and Victim Services Committees. He is the CEO and Founder of Oliver J. Bell & Associates, Inc. Mr. Bell is a former Army officer and graduate of U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, the Research Advisory Group at the Wharton School of Business, the West Point Association of Central Texas and Gamma Gamma Boulé. Mr. Bell also serves on the 21st Congressional District - U.S. Military Academy Selection Committee. Mr. Bell currently resides in Horseshoe Bay. |
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Tom Mechler, Vice-Chairman
(Term expires 2/2011) was appointed in November 2005, elected Secretary in May 2008, and elected Vice-Chairman in June 2009. Mr. Mechler chairs the Audit and Review Committee and the Rehabilitation and Reentry Programs Committee and is a member of the Community Corrections, Correctional Institutions, and Business and Financial Operations Committees. Mr. Mechler graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A & M University, then received his MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He is the president of Covenant Contract Services/Makar Production Company; responsible for locating, acquiring and operating oil and gas properties. Mr. Mechler is a registered Mechanical Engineer as well as a Volunteer Prison Chaplain. He currently resides in Amarillo, Texas. |
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Leopoldo "Leo"
Vasquez III, Secretary
(Term expires 2/2011) was appointed in November 2005 and elected Secretary in June 2009. Mr. Vasquez chairs the Management Information Systems Committee and is a member of the Audit and Review, Community Corrections, Correctional Institutions and Business and Financial Operations Committees. Mr. Vasquez received his BA in Economics from Yale University and his MBA in Finance from Columbia University. He has an extensive background involving corporate finance, implementing solutions relating to capital issues, mergers and acquisitions, strategic business planning, valuations, financial modeling, business/proposal development, operations analysis and organizational structures, human resources and international issues. Mr. Vasquez currently resides in Houston, where he serves as the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar. |
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John "Eric" Gambrell, Member
(Term expires 2/2013) was appointed to the Board December 2007. Mr. Gambrell chairs the Correctional Institutions Committee and the Legal Committee. He is a member of the Health Care, Human Resources, and Business and Financial Operations Committees. Mr. Gambrell received his B.A. from Texas A&M University before earning his law degree at the University of Texas School of Law. He resides in Highland Park, Texas and is a trial partner with Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P. |
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Carmen Villanueva-Hiles, Member
(Term expires 2/2015) was appointed in April 2009. Ms. Hiles chairs the Human Resources Committee and is a member of the Correctional Institutions, Rehabilitation and Reentry Programs, and Victim Services Committees. Ms. Hiles received a bachelor's degree and master's degree in communication disorders from the University of Texas Pan-American. She is the owner and chief operating officer A+ Therapy LLC. She is a member of the American and Texas Speech-Language Hearing associations, Valley Network of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, and Outpatient Independent Rehabilitation Association Inc. She is also an annual Relay for Life participant and a member of First Baptist Church in Rio Grande City. Ms. Hiles currently resides in Palmhurst, Texas. |
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Pastor Charles Lewis Jackson, Member
(Term expires 2/2011) was appointed in November 2005. Pastor Jackson chairs the Community Corrections Committee and is a member of the Health Care, Rehabilitation and Reentry Programs, and Victim Services Committees. Pastor Jackson received a Bachelor of Theology Degree from the Institutional Baptist Theological Center, Inc. in Houston, Texas. He also received a Doctor of Divinity from The Mount Hope Bible College and a Doctor of Laws from the Union Baptist Bible College and Seminary, both in Houston, Texas. Pastor C. L. Jackson is the author of eighteen books, the most notable of which is GOD's Mouthpiece resulting in his induction into the Martin Luther King Hall of Preacher-Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia. He has been the Pastor of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church for 38 years. Pastor C. L. Jackson currently resides in Houston, Texas. |
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Janice Harris Lord, Member
(Term expires 2/2015) was appointed to the Board in December 2007. Ms. Lord chairs the Victim Services Committee and is a member of the Health Care, Management Information Systems, and Rehabilitation and Reentry Programs Committees. Ms. Lord received her Masters degree in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington and is a licensed therapist who resides in Arlington, Texas. She is a National Consultant on Crime Victim Issues and provides technical assistance to State Victim Assistance Academies. |
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R. Terrell McCombs, Member
(Term expires 2/2013) was appointed to the Board in December 2007. Mr. McCombs chairs the Business and Financial Operations Committee and is a member of the Audit and Review, Human Resources, Management Information Systems and Legal Committees. Mr. McCombs received his BS from the University of Houston, followed by an MBA in Marketing from the George Washington University, in Washington D.C. He currently resides in San Antonio, Texas, and is the Vice President and Director of Procurement for McCombs Enterprises. |
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J. David Nelson, Member
(Term expires 2/2013) was appointed to the Board in April 2008. Mr. Nelson chairs the Health Care Committee and is a member of the Community Corrections, Education, Management Information Systems and Legal Committees. Mr. Nelson is an attorney and a partner in the law firm of Nelson & Nelson, which handles General Civil Practice, Trials, Casualty Insurance, Probate, Corporation Real Estate, Banking and Commercial Law matters. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University School of Law. Mr. Nelson currently resides in Lubbock. |
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