By Rob Kepple
TDCAA Executive Director in Austin
Congratulations to those members who have been elected to TDCAA leadership positions for 2024. The Executive Committee lineup:
Bill Helwig, Criminal District Attorney in Yoakum County, Chair of the Board
Erleigh Wiley, Criminal District Attorney in Kaufman County, President
Kriste Burnett, District Attorney in Palo Pinto County, President-Elect
David Holmes, County Attorney in Hill County, Secretary-Treasurer
In addition to the Executive Committee, some at large and regional positions were filled:
Brian Middleton, District Attorney in Fort Bend County, District Attorney at Large
Jessica Frazier, Assistant Criminal District Attorney in Comal County, Assistant Prosecutor at Large
Shane Deel, County and District Attorney in Callahan County, Region 3 Director
Will Durham, Criminal District Attorney in Walker County, Region 5 Director
Jacob Putman, Criminal District Attorney in Smith County, Region 6 Director
Dusty Boyd, District Attorney in Coryell County, Region 8 Director
Thanks in advance for your service. It is going to be a busy year!
Elected Prosecutor Conference recap
In the last week of November TDCAA hosted our annual Elected Prosecutor Conference. It is always an excellent opportunity for our elected leaders to gather and compare notes. We had some great presentations, but one of the centerpieces of the training are the forums. The District Attorney Forum was moderated by Kenda Culpepper, CDA in Rockwall County, and Staley Heatly, the 46th Judicial District Attorney, and the County Attorney Forum was hosted by Eddie Arredondo, County Attorney in Burnet County, and his First Assistant, Colleen Davis. The chance to discuss the most important issues facing our offices and profession as a whole is invaluable.
And I would be remiss if I did not thank TDCAA’s very own LaToya Scott for arranging the Wednesday night reception at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ training facility in Frisco. Because the team was in town and needed their meeting rooms, our little party was moved to the practice field, which turned out to be a lot of fun. (The photo, below, of TDCAA staff with Rowdy the mascot is an amazing keepsake!) We also got the chance to see who shined when kicking field goals: Brian Baker, First Assistant DA in Brazos County; Dusty Boyd, DA in Coryell County; and Val Varley, C&DA in Red River County all have some real skills!