I am honored and excited to join Bastrop Independent School District as the new Police Chief/Director of School Safety and Security.  For me, moving back to Texas is coming home to the state I love and to a vocation I am passionate about—helping our children become engaged citizens of our small and large communities.

I served in law enforcement for over twenty-five years with the Garland Police Department in Garland, Texas, including seven years as an administrative lieutenant to the Chief of Police and nine years in the School Resource Officer Unit .  I also worked as a training officer and as a member of the Criminal Investigations Unit.  Since moving to Madison, Florida in 2010, I have worked in education, including four years as a middle school social studies teacher and the last four years as principal of a non-profit public charter high school.  In each of these positions, I have also acted as the School Resource Officer in addition to my academic and administrative duties.  I also hold a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration.

My background in law enforcement coupled with my experience as a teacher and a principal afford me a unique perspective regarding school safety.  As a law enforcement officer, I worked extensively with students of all ages, but especially teenagers.  This experience formed in me a genuine empathy and a desire never to give up on a student.  I value where students have been, who they are now, and what they can achieve with the right support and opportunities.  I do my best to build relationships with the students, their parents/guardians, the faculty and staff, and community leaders because I know it “takes a village” to raise our kids and to do everything we can to try to keep them safe in our schools.  Building quality, lasting relationships with our children so they know they are valued and can achieve more than they believe is possible and so they learn to make positive choices is the best strategy we have as a community to combat violence in schools. 

I look forward to being a member, not only of the Bastrop Independent School District, but also of the greater Bastrop community and to working with you all to provide the safe environment our kids need to be successful.