Public Safety Commission

August 13, 2020

The Public Safety Commission oversees the DPS. Its five members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the state senate for staggered, six-year terms.

Steven MachSteven P. Mach
Chairman
P.O. Box 130630
Houston, TX 77219-0630

Steven P. Mach of Houston was reappointed to the Public Safety Commission by Governor Greg Abbott on March 21, 2023.  He has served as Chairman since  March 8, 2017, when Governor Abbott first reappointed him to the commission, and named him as Chairman. He has served as a member of the Commission since November 26, 2013, when he was first appointed by former Governor Rick Perry. In his role as Chairman of the Public Safety Commission, he has also been serving as a statutory member of the Texas Racing Commission. Chairman Mach is the vice president and CFO of Mach Industrial Group, LP. He has served as a trustee of his alma mater, Trinity University, since 2007. Additionally, he serves on the boards of The Kinkaid School, the Houston Symphony, The Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Harris County Sheriff's Office Foundation. Chairman Mach recently completed his service on the board of the Foundation for Jones Hall, and he previously chaired the boards of Family Services of Greater Houston (Family Houston), the Houston Symphony, and the Houston Symphony Endowment. In 2017, he was recognized by Crime Stoppers of Houston as the recipient of the Leiv Platou Award, which is given to a citizen who has made a significant contribution to public safety through volunteerism in the community. An Eagle Scout, he was a 2019 recipient of the National Eagle Scout Association Outstanding Eagle Scout Award, and he also completed Scouting's Wood Badge leadership program.  His term on the Public Safety Commission expires January 1, 2028.

Nelda L. BlairNelda L. Blair
Member
P.O. Box 31
Conroe, TX  77305

Nelda L. Blair of The Woodlands was appointed to the Texas Public Safety Commission by Governor Greg Abbott on January 6, 2020. Commissioner Blair is a triple board certified attorney and CEO of The Blair Law Firm, P.C. A fifth generation Texan, she is a gubernatorial appointee and secretary of the Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents, former gubernatorial appointee and former chair of the University of Houston System Board of Regents, and former gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and former chair of its regional Grievance Committee, a licensed realtor member of the Houston Association of Realtors, and a member and former board member of the Economic Development Partnership of The Woodlands. Commissioner Blair is chair and president of the Conroe ISD Education Foundation and of the Humane Society of Montgomery County, member of the Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Houston Partnership, and founding chair of The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau. Additionally, she is a member and former chair of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce, former chair of The Woodlands Township, and a former member of the Texas Conference for Women Advisory Board. Blair serves on the Spirit of Texas Bancshares and Spirit of Texas Bank boards.

Blair received a bachelor of arts in Pre-Law, Economics and Sociology from Baylor University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Houston Law Center. Her term on the Public Safety Commission expires January 1, 2026.

Larry B. LongLarry B. Long
Member
P.O. Box 600746
Dallas, TX 75360-0746

Larry B. Long of Dallas was appointed to the Public Safety Commission by Governor Greg Abbott on February 17, 2023. Long is the owner and managing member of L2JL Capital, LLC which provides funding to the commercial real estate industry. He has an active real estate license with the Texas Real Estate Commission. He is a former member of the Finance Commission of Texas and the Texas Facilities Commission. Long worked in the private sector for 36 years providing engineering and manufactured aluminum products on high-rise buildings throughout the world. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Texas Wall Systems, Inc and President of Oldcastle Building Envelope – Engineered Products. Long also worked as a Partner/Design Consultant in the glass and glazing industry working with leading architects in the U.S. and abroad. He served as board chairman and member of the American Diabetes Association and Treasurer for the Turtle Creek Association.

Long was born, raised and continues to live in Dallas with his wife Jana of 41 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Southern Methodist University. He is an active instrument rated pilot and enjoys introducing others to the adventures of aviation. He and his wife attend and are active members of Dallas Bible Church. His term on the Public Safety Commission expires January 1, 2028.

Steve StodghillSteve H. Stodghill
Member
2121 N. Pearl Street, Suite 900
Dallas, TX  75201

Steve H. Stodghill of Dallas was appointed to the Texas Public Safety Commission by Governor Greg Abbott on September 6, 2019. Stodghill is a partner at Winston & Strawn, LLP, a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Dallas Bar Association and a research fellow for the Southwestern Legal Foundation. Additionally, he is a former member of the American Bar Association and the Texas Bar Foundation and a charter member of the Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court. He is chairman of the American Film Institute National Council, board member of The University of Texas (UT) Harry Ransom Center, UT College of Liberal Arts Advisory Board, and the UT System Chancellor's Council. Additionally, he is a member of the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts Executive Board and a former member of the Boy Scouts of America Circle Ten Council Executive Committee. Stodghill received a bachelor of arts from UT Austin and a Juris Doctor degree from UT School of Law. His term on the Public Safety Commission expires January 1, 2024.

Dale WainwrightDale Wainwright
Member
P.O. Box 4087
Austin, TX  78773

Dale Wainwright of Austin was appointed to the Texas Public Safety Commission by Governor Greg Abbott on January 6, 2020. Wainwright is an attorney and shareholder of Greenberg Traurig, where he is co-chair of the firm's National Appellate Practice and chair of the Texas Appellate Practice. Prior to joining Greenberg Traurig, he served as a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court for 10 years, and as Judge of the 334th Judicial District Court in Harris County. Commissioner Wainwright also previously served as gubernatorial appointment as chair of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice.  He currently serves on the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center Board of Directors, as advisor to the Texas Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission's Legislative Committee, and as trustee of the Center for American and International Law. In addition to being an elected member of the American Law Institute, he is a trustee and former president of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, former member of the Houston Bar Association Board of Directors, and former president of the Houston Young Lawyers Association.

Wainwright earned a bachelor of arts in Economics from Howard University, studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago School of Law. His term on the Public Safety Commission expires January 1, 2024.

Meetings:

Commission meetings are held at the call of the Chairman. All meetings are open to the public and announced in the Texas Register and the Open Meetings website. The public is invited to attend all meetings.

Minutes:

Minutes are posted after they have been approved by the Commission.

Liaison for the PSC (512) 424-7771

Divisions Reporting to the Public Safety Commission: