Governor Abbott Appoints Four To Texas Commission On Fire Protection
Governor Greg Abbott has reappointed Mike Jones and appointed Bob D. Morgan, Mala Sharma, and J.P. Steelman to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection for terms set to expire on February 1, 2023. The Commission develops and enforces statewide fire service standards and provides education and assistance to the industry.
Mike Jones of Burleson is a battalion chief and training officer of the City of Burleson Fire Department and an adjunct instructor with Tarrant County College and Southwest Adventist University. He is president of the Burleson Professional Firefighters Association and a member of the Texas State Association Firefighters, International Association of Firefighters, and the Knights of Columbus. Jones attended Tarrant County College and received his fire protection certification form the Kilgore College Fire Academy.
Bob D. Morgan of Fort Worth is the senior fire protection engineer with the Fort Worth Fire Department. He is a member of the International Building Code Fire Safety Committee, six different technical committees with the National Fire Protection Association, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments and is chairman of its Fire Advisory Board. Additionally, he is a member and past president of the Fire Prevention Association of North Texas and DFW chapter of Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Morgan received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Mala Sharma of Houston is an attorney with Sharma & Associates, P.C. She is president emeritus of the Houston Northwest Bar Association, board member of the South Asian Bar Association, and chair of the Houston Trial Lawyer’s Women’s Caucus Events Committee and the Houston Young Lawyer’s Association Solo/Small Firm Committee. She is also a member of the Houston Bar Association and State Bar of Texas. Additionally, she volunteers for the Veterans Legal Clinic with the Houston Bar Association and has served as a Guardian Ad Litem. Sharma received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Houston and a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
J.P. Steelman of Longview is the fire chief of the City of Longview and an instructor at Kilgore College Fire Academy. He serves as regional director for the Northeast Region of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association and is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Texas Task Force-1, Texas Interstate Fire Mutual Aid System, Texas Emergency Management Assistance Team, and the East Texas Council of Government Homeland Security Advisory Committee. Additionally, he is board member of See Saw Children’s Place Daycare, past president of the Longview (Greggton) Rotary Club, and a panel member of the Sabine Industrial District Citizen’s Advisory Panel. Steelman received an Associate of Applied Science in the area of fire protection technology and his fire protection certification from Kilgore College Fire Academy. He also completed the Executive Fire Officer Program with the National Fire Academy, Texas Fire Chiefs Academy through the Texas Fire Chiefs Association, and the Texas Fire Service Chief Executive Officer Program through the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.