2011 TMHRA Board Elections Biographies

TMHRA BY-LAWS:

Section 6.1 Nominations of Officers. The Executive Board shall appoint a Nominating Committee. Two of the members must not be members of the Executive Board. The Nominating Committee shall submit, at the Mid-Year Conference of the Association, a list of at least two nominees for each elected office with an expired term or vacancy. The TML Board Representative from TMHRA shall be filled by election by a member who has successfully served a minimum of two years on the TMHRA Board of Trustees and is an active member of TMHRA in good standing. Nominations for Secretary-Treasurer shall be made from members who have served as trustee for at least one year. In nominating trustees the Nominating committee shall strive to achieve representation from all regions of the State. Additional nominations may be made by Active voting members, from the floor, at the Mid-Year Conference.

NOMINEES FOR SECRETARY/TREASURER:

Melinda Galler, Director of Human Resources, Lewisville – Melinda has been with the City of Lewisville since 1988. Prior to 1988, Melinda taught high school government and English in San Angelo before relocating to the DFW Metroplex. She began her career with the City of Lewisville in the police department, where she worked as an administrative analyst until 1994, when she moved to the human resources department as the compensation analyst. She was promoted to the director of human resources in 1998. In her role as the director of human resources, she is responsible for compensation, benefits, employee relations, payroll, the city-wide training program, and risk management. Melinda has a Bachelor of Science degree in government/English and a Master of Science degree in business and human relations. She is a current member of TMHRA, SHRM, IPMA-HR, and PRIMA. In addition to professional organizations, Melinda has been active in the community, serving on the boards of the Greater Lewisville Kiwanis Club, Greater Lewisville United Way, LISD Community Advisory Council, and the Southern Denton County Neighbor to Neighbor.

Miguel Ozuna, Director of Human Resources, Cedar Park – Miguel has been the director of human resources for the City of Cedar Park since 2005. Prior to his employment in Cedar Park, Miguel was the director of human resources for the City of Weslaco for six years and lectured at South Texas College during the spring and summer of 2005. Miguel has a broad range of experience in human resources, including human administration, employee relations, civil service, collective bargaining, meet and confer, risk management, and health benefits administration. Miguel obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Sam Houston State University, and his professional affiliations include TMHRA and TXPELRA.

NOMINEES FOR TRUSTEE:

Ronnie C. Kidd, Managing Director for Administration, Abilene – Ronnie serves as the City of Abilene's managing director for administration, which includes serving as human resource director, civil service director, 9-1-1 director, risk management director, and chief technology officer. Ronnie has oversight responsibility for all aspects of human resource service delivery and support, including recruiting, hiring, compensation and benefits, employee development/training, administering the self-insured health benefits plan, workers' compensation, and the civil service hiring and promotional processes. Ronnie is a member of the City of Abilene's Executive Management Team. Ronnie has served on the meet and confer management team for both police and firefighter negotiations, serving as team leader for the last two cycles of negotiations. Ronnie has been with the City of Abilene since 1999, serving as human resource director since 2002. Ronnie holds a B.B.A. in accounting from Hardin Simmons University. Ronnie is a member of TMHRA, SHRM (at both local and national levels), IPMA, NATOA, and NENA. Ronnie is currently serving his second term as president of the Big Country SHRM and has served on the TMHRA Board since January of this year.

Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources and Civil Service, Georgetown – Kevin has been the director of human resources for the City of Georgetown since 2003. Prior to his employment in Georgetown, Kevin was a senior consultant for the Waters Consulting Group and the compensation manager for the City of Austin. Kevin has a broad range of experience and oversight responsibility for all aspects of human resource service delivery, including recruitment, hiring, compensation, health benefits administration, employee relations, civil service, workers' compensation, and risk management. Kevin obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in microbiology from The University of Texas and is completing his Master of Public Administration degree at Texas State University. His professional affiliations include TMHRA, TXPELRA, SHRM, WorldAtWork, IPMA, and NFBPA. Kevin currently serves on the Board of the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Employee Benefits Pool, as well as the Board of the Samaritan Center for Counseling and Pastoral Care.

Mark Washington, Director of Human Resources and Civil Service, Austin – Mark has been the director of human resources and civil service since 2009. Prior to his employment in Austin, he served as assistant director for the City of Fort Worth and worked for the city for almost 14 years. Mark has a broad range of experience in human resources and is a member of the Austin Human Resources Management Association, Board member of the Austin Area Urban League, and served as civil service commissioner for the City of Benbrook for more than 10 years. He has made several presentations on emerging issues related to the human resources profession to the Fort Worth Human Resources Association, Austin Area Human Resources Management Association, International Public Management Association executive round table for major cities and counties, National Association for Black Public Administrators, and Texas Association of Black City Council Members. He is on the advisory board for the TSU College of Business Administration. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in human resources management from Tarleton State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Amberton University. Mark possesses the SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) certification by the Society for Human Resources Management, the CGBA (Certified Government Benefit Administrator) by the State and Local Government Benefit Administration, and the IPMA-CP (International Public Management Association-Certified Professional) designation. He is currently a doctoral candidate in the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, where he previously acquired a master's degree in theology.

Julie O'Connell, Director of Human Resources and Civil Service, New Braunfels – Julie has been the director of human resources and civil service for the City of New Braunfels since 2008. She is responsible for compensation, employee development, risk management, benefits administration, civil service, employee relations, and recruiting activities for the city. Prior to coming to New Braunfels, she was the human resources director in College Station for nine years, and the assistant human resources director for ten years. She was a manager in the private sector for more than six years prior to moving to the public sector. Julie has a B.A. in psychology from St. Mary's University, and an M.P.A. from Texas A&M University. She is active in her local United Way, and she is a member of her local Hill Country Human Resources Association, TMHRA, and TXPELRA.