Who's Who at the 2010 Conference
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The following is a brief biografy of VIPs and Presenters at the 2010 Transborder International Police in Houston, Texas.
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Mayor Annise D. Parker / City of Houston (26.96 KB)
Mayor Parker will be a Guest of Honor at the Transborder International Police Conference Opening Ceremony
Mayor Annise D. Parker is a second generation native Houstonian. She attended Rice University, graduating in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. In the private sector, Ms. Parker spent 20 years working in the oil and gas industry, including 18 years with Mosbacher Energy Company. She also co-owned a retail bookstore for 10 years and a bookkeeping and income tax company for 15 years. Mayor Parker was sworn in to her first term as mayor of Houston on January 4, 2010. She is Houston's 61st Mayor, one of only two women to hold the City's highest elected office. As the City's chief executive officer she is responsible for all aspects of the general management of the City and for seeing that all laws and ordinances are enforced. Prior to her election as Mayor, Ms. Parker served for six years as Houston City Controller and six years as an at-large member of Houston City Council. She is the only person in Houston history to hold the offices of council member, controller and mayor. As controller, she helped win overwhelming voter approval (85%) of Proposition 3, which gives the Controller's Office the independent authority to conduct performance reviews of all City departments, agencies and programs. She was also successful in securing a seat for a controller's appointee on the Houston Municipal Pension System Board of Trustees, marking the first time the city's chief financial officer has had any involvement in the pension system. In addition, Ms. Parker led as task force charged with developing new funding options and policies for solid waste collection, oversaw implementation of a new paperless payroll system that is saving the City's $1 million annually and served as a member of the stakeholders committee overseeing an independent investigation of the City's crime lab. While a member of City Council, Ms. Parker chaired city council's Fiscal Affairs and Neighborhood Protection Committees and served on eight other committees, playing leadership roles in the creation of the City's $20 million Rainy Day Fund, a civic art program, a pooper-scooper law, tighter regulations for inner city development and the City's non-discrimination policy. She also represented Houston on the Alliance for Interstate 69 Texas Board, the Municipal Solid Waste Management and Resource Recovery Advisory Council of Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the World Energy Cities Partnership. Despite her duties as mayor, Ms. Parker remains active in the Houston community, currently serving on the boards of the Holocaust Museum and Girls Inc., and as an advisory board member of the Houston Zoo, the Montrose Counseling Center and Trees for Houston. In 2001, Ms. Parker was selected as "Council Member of the Year" by the Houston Police Officers Union. In 2002, she received the "Distinguished Local Elected Official Award" from the Texas Recreation and Park Society. She previously received the "Good Brick Award" from the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance for her restoration of historic properties in the Old Sixth Ward. Ms. Parker and her life partner, Kathy Hubbard, have been together since 1990. They have three children. -
His Excelency, Carlos Ignacio Gonález Magallón / Consul General of Mexico in Houston (8.53 KB)
Guest of Honor at the Transborder International Police Opening Ceremony
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Special Agent in Charge Richard Powers / Federeal Bureau of Investigations (11.57 KB)
Keynote Address at the Transborder International Police Conference Opening Ceremony
Richard C. Powers was been named special agent in charge (SAC) of the FBI's Houston Division in the summer of 2009. Director Robert S. Mueller, III appointed him to this position to replace SAC Andrew Bland, III, who retired. Most recently, Mr. Powers, a 19-year veteran of the FBI, served as assistant director of the Office of Congressional Affairs at FBI Headquarters. Mr. Powers entered on duty as an FBI special agent in 1991. Upon completion of training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, he was assigned to the Columbia Division, where he worked general criminal matters. In 1996, he was transferred to FBI Headquarters, where he was assigned to the Criminal Division's Organized Crime/Drug Section. During that time, he coordinated interagency policy issues, international initiatives, and major investigations. From 1998 to 2004, Mr. Powers was assigned to the Houston Division. While there, he was detailed to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to supervise a multi-agency major case squad; supervised an FBI-sponsored violent crime task force; and served as the supervisory senior resident agent of the Texas City Resident Agency, responsible for FBI efforts along the Texas Gulf Coast. He was named assistant special agent in charge of the Houston Division in 2002, with oversight responsibility for the division's counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and cyber programs. In 2004, Mr. Powers returned to FBI Headquarters, first serving as an inspector in the Inspection Division and then as section chief in the Office of Congressional Affairs. He was named SAC of the FBI's Denver Division in 2005, where he provided oversight for all FBI operations in Colorado and Wyoming. In 2007, he was named assistant director of the FBI's Office of Congressional Affairs. Mr. Powers was a recipient of the Director's Award for Distinguished Service to the Law Enforcement Community in 2004. He has served in special assignments related to crisis management and law enforcement hostage/crisis negotiations. He completed advanced negotiation training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and is a graduate of the National Negotiators Course at Scotland Yard, London. In addition to training state and local officers, his assignments have included terrorist kidnappings in Kashmir, India, and numerous U.S. hostage/barricade incidents. Before beginning his career with the FBI, Mr. Powers was a police officer and drug task force supervisor in the Chicago area. He was also a college legal instructor, state prosecutor, and a civil litigation attorney in Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in international studies from the University of West Florida and a Juris Doctor degree from the Florida State University College of Law. He is married and has three children. -
US Marshal Elizabeth Saenz / Southern District of Texas (29.99 KB)
Guest of Honor at the Transborder International Police Opening Ceremony
On March 2, 2009, Chief DUSM Elizabeth Saenz was notified by the Office of the Director that with the departure of USM Ruben Monzon on January 17, 2009, she is to assume the position and responsibilities of the Acting U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Texas, under the Vacancies Reform Act (VRA), 5 USC, &3345. Everyone in the Southern District of Texas is honored to have CDUSM Saenz serve as the Acting United States Marshal and we promises to continue our support and dedication striving always for excellence. -
Acting Chief Charles A. McClelland, Jr. / Houston Police Department (336.14 KB)
Guest of Honor at Opening Ceremony
Charles McClelland has dedicated his career to public safety and criminal justice. Charles has served over thirty-two years with the Houston Police Department. He currently holds the rank of Executive Assistant Chief of Police of the Houston Police Department and reports directly to the Chief of Police. As an Executive Assistant Chief, Chief McClelland is in charge of the Investigative Operations Command, which includes the Criminal Investigations Command and the Special Investigations Command. His responsibilities include, but not limited to, overseeing all plain clothes and undercover investigative operations in the city of Houston. Chief McClelland rose through the ranks during his thirty-two year career beginning as a patrol officer in 1977. He was promoted to the department's command staff in 1998, and his management experience has touched virtually every aspect of law enforcement throughout his career with the Houston Police Department. Chief McClelland holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology. He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy and has received numerous awards and commendations Chief McClelland is a proponent of community based policing. His managerial experience and training has allowed him to work with various government officials and business leaders in developing crime prevention strategies and promoting a safe environment in diverse communities throughout the city. He has two daughters, Ashley and Brittany. -
Assistant Chief Michael Dirden / Houston Police Department (6.94 KB)
Guest of Honor at the Transborder International Police Opening Ceremony
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Sheriff Adrián García (2.84 KB)
Harris County, Texas
Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia heads the largest sheriff's office in Texas and the third- largest in the United States. Sheriff Garcia is a native Houstonian and a lifelong resident of Houston's "Near Northside". The youngest of six children, he grew up instilled with the firm values taught by his mother Maria and late father Ignacio. Those values were to work hard, work honestly and help others. It was through these guiding principles that Sheriff Garcia chose public service as a profession and became an officer with the Houston Police Department in 1980. As a peace officer, Sheriff Garcia has seen first hand the devastating effects that crime and violence have in the communities of the City of Houston and Harris County. During his 23-year career in law enforcement he patrolled neighborhoods, investigated violent crimes, developed community-policing initiatives and worked to strengthen the relationship between residents and law enforcement. In 1994, Houston Mayor Bob Lanier appointed Garcia as the Houston Police Department's Liaison to the Mayor's Anti-Gang Office. In 1999, Mayor Lee P. Brown promoted him to Director. In 2004, Sheriff Garcia was elected to the Houston City Council and served as a member of several Council committees including as Chair of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. In 2007, he was appointed to serve as the Mayor Pro-Tempore by Mayor Bill White. In his new position as Sheriff, Adrian Garcia has returned to his law enforcement roots and is committed to providing the leadership necessary to restore the public's confidence and trust in the Harris County Sheriff's Office. He is determined to provide the direction and resources necessary to bring the dedicated men and women of the Harris County Sheriff's Office into the 21st century. Sheriff Garcia will accomplish these goals based on the fundamental principles that have guided his career and his life: hard work, honesty and public service. He credits his wife Monica, his daughter Nina, his parents and other family members for providing the inspiration to serve. -
Guest of Honor at Opening Ceremony
Joan Neuhaus Schaan is the fellow in homeland security and terrorism at the Baker Institute. Since late 2004 she has served as the executive director of the Houston-Harris County Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council, a joint effort of Harris County, the City of Houston and Rice University. She also serves on the board of directors for Crime Stoppers of Houston, Inc. From 2002 to 2004, Neuhaus Schaan was mobilized to active duty for Operation Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom and was deployed to Northern Command's 24 Operational Intelligence Watch in Cheyenne Mountain. At the conclusion of her tour, she was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and authorized to wear the Joint Chiefs of Staff insignia. Prior to mobilization, Neuhaus Schaan served as the project coordinator for the Houston Task Force on Terrorism and led the assessment of Houston's terrorism response mechanisms, a joint effort of the Office of the Mayor of Houston and the Baker Institute. Upon completion, Neuhaus Schaan was chaired as the Thomas Cook and Mary Elizabeth Edwards Fellow for Terrorism at Rice University. Her first involvement in the field of terrorism and homeland security came as an officer with the United States Naval Reserve, where she became an antiterrorism training officer for her squadron and was responsible for the force protection briefings for deployments to the Americas and Pacific. She was appointed to the Texas Commission on Private Security by Gov. George W. Bush in 1999, and later reappointed by Gov. Rick Perry. Neuhaus Schaan received her B.A. from Williams College and her M.B.A. from the Jesse Jones Graduate School at Rice University. Read Joan Neuhaus Schaan's posts on the Baker Institute Blog. -
Beth Alberts / CEO, Texas Center for the Missing / Director, Houston Regional Amber Plan (19.69 KB)
Presenter on Texas Amber Alerts
Since March 2001, Beth Alberts has been the CEO of the Texas Center for the Missing. She became the Director of the Houston Regional Amber Plan, the largest regional Amber Alert System in the Country, in July 2001. Additionally, she serves as the coordinator for both the Southeast Texas Child Abduction Response Team, a multi-jurisdictional, multi-discipline team of 75 different agencies prepared to respond to endangered missing child cases, and the Southeast Texas Search and Rescue Alliance, a consortium of trained, vetted volunteer search and rescue teams and missing children's organizations providing support to law enforcement agencies and families of the missing. Ms. Alberts has been a non-profit manager and fundraiser for 30 years – the last 22 in Houston. Ms. Alberts serves as the President of the Board of AMECO, Inc., an international consortium of missing children's organizations, is a Board Member of Harris County Department of Education's Safe and Secure Schools and sits on the Children's Assessment Center Partnership Council. Ms. Alberts has been involved on the state, national and international levels in the effort to ensure the effectiveness and consistency of Amber Alerts programs. She has developed Amber Alert Training for regional and Statewide Plans, and has provided training to more than 3,500 law enforcement officers in 250+ agencies around the state of Texas and North America. Ms. Alberts is an instructor at the Texas Department of Public Safety Training Academy and the Galveston College of Law Enforcement. Ms. Alberts works with the US Attorney's Southern District Office to support the US Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood in the Houston Region and with the local Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Awards: 2006: Ms. Alberts was awarded the Houston Police Department's Humanitarian Service Award 2007: Ms. Alberts was selected to receive a special award created in her honor, the Citizenship Award, by the Houston Young Lawyer's Association 2009: Texas Center for the Missing received the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) 2009 Missing Children Nonprofit of the Year Award 2010: Ms. Alberts has been nominated to receive Self Magazine's Women Doing Good Award Education: Ms. Alberts has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of Texas and has done graduate work in Public Administration at the University of Houston. Ms. Alberts has served on the boards of many Houston children's charities, was an active volunteer with the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast for 7 years and is a graduate of the FBI Citizen's Academy. -
SSA Ryan Toole / Federal Bureau of Investigation (14.78 KB)
Presentation on The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System
Supervisory Special Agent Ryan Toole has been a Special Agent with the FBI for over 24 years. SSA Toole graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1978. Subsequent to graduating from West Point SSA Toole was assigned to the Military Intelligence branch and served for four years to the U.S. Army Third Infantry Division in Germany and later the 10th Mountain Division Division. SSA Toole has been assigned to numerous FBI field divisions in the U.S. including seven years in the Houston Division and three years at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. Currently, SSA Toole is the FBI's Major Theft program manager. The Major Theft program encompasses organized retail theft, auto theft, cargo theft, jewelry and gem theft and art theft.