Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The nine member Texas Board of Criminal Justice (TBCJ) is appointed by the governor to oversee the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), which provides confinement, supervision, rehabilitation, and reintegration of the state’s convicted felons. The board members, who are appointed for staggered, six-year terms, are responsible for hiring the executive director of the department and setting rules and policies which guide the agency. TBCJ members also serve as the Board of Trustees for the Windham School District within the TDCJ. In this capacity, they are responsible for providing general oversight and the hiring of the school system's superintendent.
There are TDCJ divisions which report directly to the board. They are the Office of the Inspector General with oversight of the Investigations Department, the Internal Audit Division, and the office of State Counsel for Offenders. In addition, the PREA Ombudsman is appointed by and reports directly to the board.
Hon. Dale Wainwright, Chairman(term expires 2/2021), was appointed to the TBCJ in August 2015. Texas Governor Greg Abbott named the Honorable Dale Wainwright Chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. Wainwright is managing partner of the Austin office of the international law firm Bracewell & Giuliani LLP. He is an appellate lawyer representing clients in complex commercial disputes of all types in state and federal courts and administrative appeals of oil and gas and electric utility disputes. Prior to joining Bracewell, Wainwright served on the Texas Supreme Court for 10 years, authoring more than 125 opinions, and he also served as Presiding Judge of the 334th District Court in Harris County. He is the first African American to be elected to serve on the Texas Supreme Court. Wainwright graduated from Howard University (summa cum laude) with a bachelor's degree in economics. He studied abroad at the London School of Economics as the Lucy Dalbiac Luard Scholar and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School. |
R. Terrell McCombs, Vice-Chairman(term expires 2/2019), was appointed to the TBCJ in December 2007 and reappointed to the board in April 2013. He was elected as vice-chairman in October 2014. Mr. McCombs chairs the Business and Financial Operations Committee and is a member of the Audit and Review, Human Resources, and Legal committees. Mr. McCombs received his BS from the University of Houston, followed by an MBA in Marketing from the George Washington University, in Washington D.C. He is a regular member of the Boone and Crockett Club, and principal in an independent consulting business, specializing in marketing and financial expertise. |
Leopoldo "Leo" Vasquez III, Secretary(term expires 2/2017), was appointed to the TBCJ in November 2005, and was reappointed in 2011. He was elected and has served as secretary since June 2009. Mr. Vasquez chairs the Audit and Review Committee and is a member of the Community Corrections, Correctional Institutions, Health Care, and Business and Financial Operations committees. Mr. Vasquez received his BA in Economics from Yale University, his MBA in Finance from Columbia University, and holds a Governance Fellow designation from the National Association of Corporate Directors. Mr. Vasquez currently serves as the global Director of Strategic Public Affairs for the ECOM Group, a leading international commodities firm. He has an extensive executive management background implementing solutions relating to corporate finance, capital issues, mergers and acquisitions, strategic business planning, operations analysis and organizational structures, human resources, and international issues. |
Thomas G. Fordyce, Member(term expires 2/2021), was appointed to the TBCJ in August 2015. Thomas Fordyce is a rancher, cow/calf operator and hay producer who served as a commissioner for the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and most recently a member of the Trinity River Authority. Prior to that, he was director of TDCJ's Agribusiness, Land and Minerals. Mr. Fordyce served in the United States Marine Corp during the Vietnam War and he currently serves as a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Lone Survivor Foundation and Huntsville Veterans' Advisory Board. |
Eric Gambrell, Member(term expires 2/2019), was appointed to the TBCJ in December 2007, and reappointed in April 2013. Mr. Gambrell chairs the Correctional Institutions Committee and he is a member of the Health Care, Human Resources, Legal, and Business and Financial Operations committees. Mr. Gambrell received his BA from Texas A&M University before earning his law degree at the University of Texas School of Law. He is a trial partner with Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P. |
Judge Lawrence "Larry" Gist, Member(term expires 2/2017), was appointed to the TBCJ in March 2011. Judge Gist chairs the Community Corrections Committee and is a member of the Legal, and Victim Services committees. Judge Gist is a Senior Criminal District Judge, and a Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Law and Criminal Appellate Law by the State Bar of Texas. He also is a member of the American Probation and Parole Association, Texas Probation Association, and Texas Corrections Association. Judge Gist received a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame before earning a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. |
Larry Don Miles, Member(term expires 2/2017), was appointed to the TBCJ in August 2014. Pastor Miles chairs the Rehabilitation and Reentry Programs committee and is a member of the Community Corrections, Correctional Institutions and Victim Services committees. Pastor Miles attended West Texas A&M University, Amarillo College, and served in the U.S. Army. He is a pastor and elder of the Trinity Fellowship Church in Amarillo. He oversees state prison and jail ministries for the William P. Clements Unit, Nathaniel J. Neal Unit, and Potter and Randall County jails. Pastor Miles is also a certified volunteer chaplain for the Amarillo Parole office. |
Derrelynn Perryman, Member(term expires 2/2021), was appointed to the TBCJ in August 2015. Derrelynn Perryman is the Victim Advocate Director for the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. She also serves as an adjunct instructor for the School of Social Work and the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at the University of Texas at Arlington. She retired from the Arlington Police Department after serving for 21 years as the Victim Services Coordinator. She is a certified peace officer instructor, trains officers and first responders, and is a member of the Critical Incident Team with the Arlington Police Department. Ms. Perryman earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in social work from The University of Texas at Arlington. |
Thomas P. Wingate, Member(term expires 2/2019), was appointed to the TBCJ in April 2013. Mr. Wingate chairs the Legal Committee and is a member of the Community Corrections Committee and Rehabilitation and Reentry Programs committees. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Mary’s University, followed by a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law, and is a Career Prosecutor Graduate from the National College of District Attorneys. In 2007, Governor Perry appointed him Judge, 430th District Court, Hidalgo County. Mr. Wingate is an attorney specializing in commercial and residential real estate law. |
Public Comment Period
2nd and 4th meetings of every year
December 9, 2016 | Doubletree Hotel Austin 6505 North IH-35 Austin, Texas 78752 |
Texas Board of Criminal Justice
P.O. Box 13084
Austin, Texas 78711
tbcj@tdcj.texas.gov