2013 EX-OFFICIOS

Bill Thorn, GSWIDA Liaison to Mayor Charles England
Grand Prairie City Council, District 3
317 College St.
Grand Prairie, Texas 75050

Occupation: Independent real estate broker.
Academic: Hinds Community College, Raymond, Mississippi; attended the University of Texas at Arlington.
Public Service: Elected Councilman for District 3 in 2005 and re-elected in 2008. Previously served on the city's Planning and Zoning Commission and Airport Advisory Board. Thorn is a graduate of Leadership Grand Prairie and a retired American Eurocopter director. He is an ex-officio member of the Great Southwest Industrial District Association, board member of the Housing Finance Corporation, committee member of Tex-21 Aviation, member of the River of Trade Coalition, board member of the Friday Rotary Club and an active member of the Grand Prairie Chamber of Commerce where he serves on the Government Relations Committee, the Southwest Dallas County Transportation Committee and is Chairman of the Business Development Committee. Thorn was a U.S. Army Officer and a test pilot for Bell Helicopter. He helped establish helicopter medical programs in major U.S. cities, served on the Helicopter Foundation International Board of Directors and served on the Airborne Law Enforcement Vendor Advisory Board.

Charlie Parker, GSWIDA Liaison to Mayor Robert Cluck
Arlington City Council, District 1
101 W. Abram St.
Arlington, Texas 76010

Represents the portion of the city bounded by Division Street on the south and the city limits on the north. Also bounded by Great Southwest Parkway and SH 360 on the east and Fielder Road and the city limits on the west. District 1 includes GSW Industrial Park, Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor, The Ballpark in Arlington and River Legacy Parks.
Charlie Parker moved to north Arlington in 1980. He flew as an airline Captain for TWA and American Airlines for 32 years, after flying missions in Asia, the Persian Gulf and in the Mediterranean as a Commander for the Navy. Following 911, he became a Federal Flight Deck Officer (armed pilot) for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School, and has a Bachelor of Science Degree from San Jose State University in Aeronautical Engineering.
Mr. Parker has been involved in the representational process for the last 16 years, including as Chairman of the Dispute Resolution Committee and as Secretary/Treasurer of a pilots union. He has been married to Jackie, who is a native Texan from Corpus Christi, for 36 years. They have two children born and raised in Arlington who attended TCU and UTA.
His current community involvement also includes positions on the Regional Policy and Municipal Infrastructure Committee, Community and Neighborhood Development Committee, Municipal Policy Committee, and United Way of Arlington.

Andrea Roy
Arlington Economic Development
101 West Abram St.
Arlington, Texas 760104-3231
(817) 459-6115

Deputy Chief Mike Shaw, GSWIDA Liaison to Chief of Police Steve Dye
Grand Prairie Police Department
1525 Arkansas Lane
Grand Prairie, Texas 75052
(972) 237-8726

Deputy Chief Shaw commands the Criminal Investigations Bureau with 33 sworn officers, 7 supervisors and 15 civilians. CIB specialized units include narcotics, crime suppression, crime scene investigation, financial crimes, gang unit, crimes against children, victims assistance, and property crimes unit.

Deputy Police Chief Leland Strickland, GSWIDA Liaison to Interim Chief of Police Will Johnson
Arlington Police Department
Ott Cribbs Public Safety Building
602 W. Division Street
(817) 459-5700

Amber Gosser
Workforce Solutions For Tarrant County
1320 S. University Drive, Suite 600
Fort Worth, Texas 76017
(817) 804-4255

Amber serves as the Business Services Director for Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, which is the Tarrant County Workforce Development Board under the direction of the Texas Workforce Commission.  With over 10 years experience in the workforce development arena,  Amber works with more than 30,000 business throughout the county to assist with recruiting and training needs by providing technical and financial assistance. 

As manager of the Life Sciences Industry Sector for the workforce board, Amber serves on the board for the Center for Competitive Workforce for the Arlington Chamber and served as a board member for more than five years for the North Central Texas Workforce Development Board.

Deborreh Wallace
TMAC
202 E. Border Street
Arlington, Texas 76010
(817) 272-5922

Deborreh serves as Customer Relations Manager for the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center at the Automation & Robotics Research Institute (ARRI). She has worked with the University of Texas at Arlington/ARRI Small Business Extension Centers since 1995.

She is the Secretary and Program Chair for the Manufacturers Association of North Texas, and is the founding Chair of the Texas Alliance of Manufacturers Associations. She serves as the Chair of the Advisory Council at the City of Fort Worth Business Assistance Center; is a member of the Fort Worth Chamber Local Business Advisory Council, and was recently appointed to the Workforce Solutions of Tarrant County’s Workforce Improvement committee.

Prior to joining TMAC, Deborreh worked in engineering support functions in telecom manufacturing and environmental consulting in the greater Los Angeles area. She also held positions with the Harvey Mudd College of Engineering Alumni Office in Claremont, CA. and the Cal-Poly Admissions office in Pomona, California. She was a member of the Superior Court System lower bench staff in King County Washington, mentoring and training other courtroom clerks and advising new judicial appointments in administrative procedures. Deborreh also held several administrative positions within the Boeing Company including its corporate classified library,