Governor Greg Abbott has appointed 21 individuals to the Family Violence Criminal Homicide Prevention Task Force. The terms for these appointments will last at the discretion of the Governor. The task force is responsible for analyzing risk factors that could lead to family violence-related homicides, advising state agencies and nonprofits on training improvements for professionals working with survivors, collecting and sharing data that is not confidential or otherwise protected by law, and developing policy recommendations to assist the state.
The appointees include Heather Bellino of Austin, chief executive officer of the Texas Advocacy Project; Jia Benno of Austin, injury prevention unit director for the Texas Department of State Health Services; Megan Bermea of Cedar Park, program director for the Office of Family Services at Texas Health and Human Services; Hillary England of Pflugerville, director of trafficking and sexual violence prevention programs at the Office of the Governor; Allison Garcia of Round Rock, deputy chief of government affairs at the Office of the Attorney General; Mariah Gardner of Converse, field manager at CVS Health; Staley Heatly of Vernon, Wilbarger County Attorney; Kathryn Jacob of Waxahachie, president and CEO of The Archway (formerly SafeHaven) in Tarrant County; Julie Kinser of Amarillo, director at Department of Family and Protective Services – Child Protective Services; Kevin Lawrence of Pflugerville, executive director at Texas Municipal Police Association; Daisy Lopez of Brownsville, operations director at Friendship of Women Inc.; Heather Mahaffey from Denison, program coordinator at Grayson Crisis Center; Michael McNutt from Round Rock, program manager for Texas Violent Death Reporting System at Department of State Health Services; Jarvis Parsons from Bryan, Brazos County District Attorney; April Propst from Abilene, associate judge with Office of Court Administration; Hannah Rahaman from Katy, appeals and legal section manager with Office of Attorney General Crime Victims Services Division; Michelle Shields from Amarillo, advocacy services director at Family Support Services Amarillo; Chris Smyth from Round Rock, sergeant with Texas Commission on Law Enforcement; Gloria Terry from Buda, CEO at Texas Council on Family Violence; Leila Wood from Austin, professor at University of Texas Health Science Center Houston; Jamie Wright from Houston, senior management and program analyst at Department Veterans Affairs Office Inspector General.
According to the official website, Governor Abbott’s office is part of the executive branch in Texas. The office has focused on initiatives such as job creation and economic opportunities while also supporting public safety measures including border security efforts like Operation Lone Star. The governor’s primary offices are located in Austin’s State Insurance Building. Greg Abbott was elected as governor in 2014 and has since led various statewide programs.
The formation and actions taken by this task force align with ongoing efforts by state leadership to address critical social issues such as family violence prevention.
