Chief Theron L. Bowman is a Fort Worth, Texas native. He attended the University of Texas at Arlington where he obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Biology in 1983, a Master's Degree in Public Administration in 1991, and a Ph.D. in Urban and Public Administration in 1997. Bowman is also a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police, the FBI National Academy, and the FBI National Executive Institute. Dr. Bowman began his law enforcement career with the Arlington Police Department in 1983 and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 1988. In 1990, Bowman was appointed to command the newly created Community Affairs Division and in 1992 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant where he served as a Patrol Watch Commander until his appointment to Deputy Police Chief in 1993.

Since 1990, he has served on the faculty at three local universities, teaching Sociology, Criminology, and Criminal Justice classes. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), and a host of other organizations.

With several publications and professional reports to his credit, Theron has been recognized by the African American Peace Officer Association of Arlington as the "Officer of the Year" and has received a Proclamation of Achievement from both the Texas State Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1999, Dr. Bowman assumed the duties of Police Chief in Arlington, Texas and, in 2003, The John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Institute presented Chief Bowman with the Outstanding Local Leader Award. In 2005, Dr. Bowman was elected to chair the Texas Intelligence Council and began his service as a commissioner for the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies.

Dan Richard Beto has devoted more than four decades to the criminal justice profession. He has been employed as a juvenile probation officer, Federal Probation Officer, and director of two community supervision and corrections departments in Texas.

From 1994 to 2005, Mr. Beto served as Executive Director of the Correctional Management Institute of Texas at Sam Houston State University. The Institute is charged with the responsibility of providing training and technical assistance to adult and juvenile criminal justice practitioners. In addition, the Institute has provided secretariat services to the Texas Probation Association, Texas Jail Association, Texas Association for Court Administration, and the National Association of Probation Executives. As part of his duties, Dan served as Director of the Texas Probation Training Academy, Center for Project Spotlight, and the National Resource Center for Police-Corrections Partnerships.

Mr. Beto is a past President of the Texas Probation Association and the National Association of Probation Executives and has served on the Board of Directors of the American Probation and Parole Association and the American Correctional Association. He was a member of the Reinventing Probation Council of the Manhattan Institute and served as convener of the Texas Reinventing Probation Strategy Group.

Mr. Beto, who possesses a bachelor's degree in sociology and a Master of Arts degree in criminology, is widely published in journals peculiar to the field of criminal justice. In addition, he is the editor of Executive Exchange and serves on the editorial board of Federal Probation. Dan has served as a consultant to corporations and government agencies. He is President of Beto Strategic Partners.

Chief Oscar Garcia was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas. Chief Garcia obtained a B.S. in Law Enforcement and Police Science at Sam Houston State University. He is currently attending the University of Texas at Brownsville as a Graduate Student majoring in Government.

He began his public service career in September of 1977 when he was elected as one of the first paramedics to join the City of Brownsville Emergency Medical Services, serving until 1982. He began his criminal justice career in 1982 as a Correctional Officer with the Texas Department of Corrections where he remained until 1986. Between 1986 and 1993, Chief Garcia served the Cameron County Sheriff's Office, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice/Pardons and Parole Division, and Rivera High School in Brownsville, Texas.

In September 1993, he was selected to serve the Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) as the first Police Commander of Police and Security Services. In 2002, Chief Garcia successfully completed the professional course of study prescribed by the Leadership and Command College at Sam Houston State University, Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas. In addition to serving on the TRCPI Governing Board, Chief Garcia also serves on the board of the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College Criminal Justice Institute.

On June 24, 2003, Chief Garcia became only the second person to be chief of the Brownsville ISD Police Department and Security Services. Comprised of 20 sworn officers, 60 non-sworn security personnel, and support staff, the department serves the needs of the school district. In June 2005, he was elected to serve as Regional Director of the Chiefs of Police Association, Rio Grande Valley School District. Chief Garcia is a visionary that sees community collaboration as a method to address the needs of students, staff, and faculty.

Jeannie McGuire is the President and Founder of Project Unity, a non profit corporation whose mission is to help low income families achieve self sufficiency. Ms. McGuire graduated summa cum laude in 1979 from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work. In 2004, Ms. McGuire earned her Masters of Science in Human Services with a Specialization in Non Profit Management from Capella University.

Ms. McGuire is a visionary leader, garnering recognition on local, state and federal levels. Project Unity has grown from an organization of 3 employees in 2000 to over 14 employees in 2005; from a $200,000 budget in 2000 to over $1 million in 2005. Ms. McGuire has a passion for helping families overcome barriers facing them in relation to health, housing, employment, education, and basic needs. She has worked tirelessly to create a coordinated system of care so that families are treated with dignity and respect when interfacing with professionals in health and human services.

In 2001, Project Unity was awarded a daily Point of Light Award by former President George Bush. In 2003, Governor Rick Perry appointed Ms. McGuire to be the Presiding Officer of the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners.

For more information on Ms. McGuire see http://www.projectunitytx.org

Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), Dr. Villarreal-Watkins previously served as the Project Manager for the Leadership Command College of the Institute. Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University, a Master of Public Administration from Texas A&M University and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Counseling from Sam Houston State University.

Prior to joining the LEMIT staff, Rita worked in the criminal justice field for 17 years. She began her career as a juvenile probation officer. Rita began her policing career with the College Station Police Department and later served as Chief Deputy for the Brazos County Sheriff's Office. During Dr. Villarreal-Watkins' career she continued professional development and is instructor-certified by the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education and is an alternative dispute resolution mediator. In 1995 she graduated from the Leadership Command College and the 182nd FBI National Academy. Additionally she was selected section representative of the academy class.

During Dr. Villarreal-Watkins' employment at LEMIT Sam Houston State University, she has become involved in many facets of education. Her teaching and research has concentrated in the areas of leadership development, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, investigative techniques, and diverse workplaces. Rita is co-author of True Heroines, a 1999 book written about and dedicated to women police officers killed in the line of duty.

Todd Jermstad received his B.A. from Baylor University in 1978 and his J.D. from Baylor University School of Law in 1980.  He has been a licensed attorney in the State of Texas since November, 1980.  He was an attorney for the Texas Department of Human Resources from December, 1980 until January, 1983.  In February, 1983 he became an assistant district attorney for Brazos County, Texas and in January, 1985 was named First Assistant District Attorney for Brazos County, Texas.  In September, 1989 he became the General Counsel for the Texas Adult Probation Commission and later served as an assistant general counsel for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.  Since December, 1998, he has served as the staff attorney for the Bell/Lampasas Counties, Texas, Community Supervision and Corrections Department.

Mr. Jermstad has lectured frequently on topics dealing with criminal law and community corrections.  He has written articles for the Texas Probation Journal, Executive Exchange, and Texas Corrections Journal.  He has also had numerous book reviews published in the Texas Probation Journal, Texas Corrections Journal and Federal Probation Journal.  In addition he has assisted in the revision of the Legal Liabilities Manual for Probation and Parole Officers that was published in August, 2001 under the auspices of the National Institute of Corrections.  Mr. Jermstad is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Probation Association, Texas Corrections Association, National Association of Probation Executives, the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, and  the American Probation and Parole Association.