2012 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.

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

Occupation: Executive Account Manager, Medical Products Company. President, Real Estate Investment Company.
Academic: BA, Sociology, Tulane University; Masters Degree in Theology, University of Dallas; Masters Degree in Philosophy, University of Dallas; PhD, Philosophy, University of Dallas.
Public Service: Elected Councilman for District 1 in 2006. Serves on the Fiscal Policy Committee, chair of the Economic Development Committee, treasurer of the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, ex-officio member of Great Southwest Industrial District Association, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5 Board of Directors, president of the Arlington Housing Finance Corporation, and Building Equitable Communities Committee. His current community involvement also includes vice president, board of directors, of United Way of Tarrant County; co-chair, board of directors, of Recovery Resource Council; director, board of directors, Hampden Woods Homeowners Association; Rotary Club of North Arlington member; American Catholic Philosophical Association member; World Affairs Council member; Texas Municipal League member; and advisory board of ARBOR Community Services Foundation.

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

Deputy Police Chief Mike Shaw, GSWIDA Liaison to Grand Prairie Police Department
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 Lauretta Hill, GSWIDA Liaison to Arlington Police Department
Arlington Police Department
North Patrol District
Arlington, Texas
(817) 459-5603

Deputy Chief Hill commands more than 100 officers, detectives and professional staff. She has operational responsibility for all criminal issues in the North Police District, which includes the Downtown District, the Entertainment District, the Great Southwest Industrial District and numerous residential areas. 

Amber Gosser
Workforce Solutions For Tarrant County
1320 S. University Drive, Suite 600
Fort Worth, Texas 76017

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
7300 Jack Newell Blvd. South
Fort Worth, Texas 76118

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,