Governor Abbott Appoints Four To Commission On Jail Standards
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Melinda Taylor to the Commission on Jail Standards for a term set to expire January 31, 2021. Additionally, he appointed Duane Lock, Ben Perry and reappointed Esmaeil Porsa, M.D. for terms set to expire January 31, 2023. The commission establishes standards for the care and treatment of county prisoners, and the construction, maintenance and operation of county jails.
Melinda Taylor of Austin is manager of development for Susan G. Komen. Previously, she served as legislative director for the National Sheriffs’ Association and as membership director for the Society for Neuroscience in Washington, D.C. She was a member of Project Alert of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Law Enforcement Explorers Program of the Boy Scouts of America. Taylor received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Incarnate Word College in San Antonio.
Duane Lock of Southlake is president and strategic leader for River Oaks Energy in Dallas. He previously served as director of product development at TXU Energy. He previously served as the finance chair for the Rockhurst University Board of Trustees in Kansas City, MO. He also serves on the board and executive committee of the University of Southern Mississippi Foundation and is a former board member for the Fort Worth Boys and Girls Club. Lock received a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Masters of Business Administration from Rockhurst University. He also received an honorable discharge from the United States Marine Corps.
Ben Perry of Waco is McLennan County Commissioner for the 4th Precinct and is an insurance executive at Higginbotham Insurance Company. Additionally, he has 14 years of past service in public safety as a police detective for the City of Waco and a police officer and firefighter for the City of Woodway. He is a board member of the Heart of Texas Fair & Rodeo and the McLennan County Appraisal District and a former board member for the Midway Little League and Family Abuse Shelter.
Esmaeil Porsa, M.D. of Parker is executive vice president, chief strategy and integration officer and medical director for Jail Health at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas. Additionally, he serves as a volunteer clinical assistant professor of family medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and as an associate assistant clinical professor at Texas Woman’s University. He is a member and former trustee of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, member of the Society of General Internal Medicine and Academy of Correctional Medicine, and volunteer physician for the Human Rights Initiative. Porsa received a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Our Lady of the Lake University, Doctor of Medicine from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and a Master of Public Health from The University of Texas Health Center at Houston.