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 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 also serves as a statutory member of the Texas Racing Commission. Chairman Mach is the vice president and CFO of Mach Industrial Group, LP, a third-generation family business founded in 1953, and based in Houston. He is an alumnus of Trinity University, and has served as a trustee of the university since 2007. He is Chair of the Board of The Kinkaid School, and serves on the boards of the Houston Symphony, the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Harris County Sheriff's Office Foundation. He previously served as chairman of the boards of Family Services of Greater Houston, the Houston Symphony, the Houston Symphony Endowment, and the Trinity University Alumni Association. 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 the Scouting's Wood Badge leadership program. His term on the Public Safety Commission expires January 1, 2028.
Nelda Luce Blair
Member
P.O. Box 31
Conroe, TX 77305
Nelda Luce Blair of The Woodlands was appointed to the Public Safety Commission by Governor Greg Abbott on January 6, 2020. Commissioner Blair is a triple board certified real estate attorney, a former prosecutor, and CEO of The Blair Law Firm, P.C. A fifth generation Texan, she is also a licensed realtor member of the Houston Association of Realtors. Commissioner Blair serves as president of the Conroe ISD Education Foundation, and the Humane Society of Montgomery County. She is a former gubernatorial appointee and chair of the University of Houston System Board of Regents, and former gubernatorial appointees of the Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents and the Texas Economic Development Corporation. She was the founding chair of both The Woodlands Township and The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Blair received a bachelor of arts in Pre-Law, Economics and Sociology from Baylor University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center. Her term on the Public Safety Commission expires January 1, 2026.
Larry 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.
Steven H. Stodghill
Member
2121 N. Pearl Street, Suite 900
Dallas, TX 75201
Steven H. Stodghill of Dallas was appointed to the 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, a research fellow for the Southwestern Legal Foundation, a charter member of the Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court, an Eagle Scout with a Silver Palm, the highest rank in Scouting, and he graduated with honors, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983. He is a board member of The University of Texas (UT) Harry Ransom Center, UT College of Liberal Arts Advisory Board, the UT System Chancellor's Council and the Ex Students' Association of the University of Texas ("Texas Exes"). 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 and former chairman of the American Film Institute's National Council. 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, 2030.
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 are posted after they have been approved by the Commission.
Liaison for the PSC (512) 424-7771
Divisions Reporting to the Public Safety Commission:
- Chief Auditor’s Office
- General Counsel *Please note: The Office of General Counsel has a dual reporting relationship to the Executive Director
- Inspector General