AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Kim Lemaux, Sharon Thomas and Timothy Whitaker to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for terms set to expire on August 30, 2021. As a state regulatory agency, TCOLE was established to enforce and institute standards to ensure the people of Texas are served by highly trained and ethical law enforcement, corrections, and telecommunications personnel.

Kim Lemaux of Arlington is the chief of police for The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), and previously served as deputy chief of police for the City of Arlington. She is the vice president of the Texas Association of College and University Police Administrators and member of the International Association of Police Chiefs, North Texas and Texas Police Chiefs Associations and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, and a former vice president of the Duff Elementary Parent Teachers Association. Lemaux graduated from the North Texas Regional Council of Governments Police Academy and received a Bachelor of Business Administration from UTA and a master’s degree in security management from American Public University in Charles Town, WV.

Sharon Thomas of San Antonio is principal and owner of Breckenridge Thomas Law Office. She previously served as a visiting professor of law at Liberty University School of Law in Lynchburg, VA, and is certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, International Bar Association and the Center for International Legal Studies Congress of Fellows. She is past chair of the State Bar of Texas Board of Legal Specialization and Labor and Employment Law Exam Commission, past president of the St. Mary’s University Law Alumni Association and a past member of the St. Mary’s University Board of Trustees. She served the U.S. Air Force as a civilian Judge Advocate General. Thomas received a Bachelor of Arts in public justice from St. Mary’s University and a Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University School of Law.

Timothy Whitaker of Richmond is a senior patrol officer for the Houston Police Department. After graduating from the Houston Police Academy in 1986, he has served the City of Houston as a patrol officer and a certified field training officer with over 2,100 hours of TCOLE training. Whitaker is a member of the Houston Police Officer’s Union Board and serves as a mentor for the Sugarland Skeeters Baseball League. Additionally, he received the Houston Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office Outstanding Service Award in 2011.