Governor Perry Appoints Mike Slack to Newly Formed Judicial Compensation Commission

Governor Rick Perry named Betsy Whitaker of Dallas chair of the Judicial Compensation Commission. He also appointed eight members – including Mike Slack – to the commission, which was created by the Texas Legislature in 2007 to regulate the salaries of state judges.Whitaker is a lawyer in private practice. She is a member and past president of the State Bar of Texas and a member of the Dallas Bar Association. She is also a member of the Dallas Assembly, and serves on the executive committee of the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and on the board of Communities in Schools Dallas. She is also a Center for American and International Law trustee and a member of the American Law Institute. Whitaker received a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College and a law degree from Southern Methodist University. Her term expires February 1, 2009.

Ramiro Galindo of Bryan is chairman of the Galindo Group of Companies and the Texas Enterprise Bank. He is a director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and a past director of the Brazos River Authority. Galindo is also a past trustee of St. Joseph’s Hospital and the University of St. Thomas. Additionally, he is founder and past chairman of the Texas Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association and author of “The Making of An American,” his autobiography. Galindo received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University. His term expires February 1, 2009.

Tom Harwell of El Paso is an executive of a global medical device manufacturing company. He is a founding officer of the See Ophthalmological Clinic and volunteer with the United Way. His term expires February 1, 2013.

Harold Jenkins of Irving has been president of CTJ Maintenance for 14 years. He is a member of the Dallas and Irving/Las Colinas chambers of commerce and the Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Business Council. Jenkins received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas Tech University. His term expires February 1, 2011.

Pat Mizell of Houston is a partner with Vinson and Elkins. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and director of the San Jose Clinic, which provides free healthcare to the poor. Mizell received a bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University and a law degree from the University of Houston. His term expires February 1, 2013.

Wanda Rohm of San Antonio is president of Presto Printing. She is past state chair of the National Federation of Independent Business, past chair of the North Chamber of Commerce and past president of National Association of Women Business Owners. Rohm received a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University. Her term expires February 1, 2011.

Linda Russell of Kemah is CEO of the Woman’s Hospital of Texas. She is a member of the Texas Hospital Association and the Gulf Coast Blood Bank executive committee. Additionally, she is a board member of the March of Dimes and serves on the State March of Dimes Board. Russell received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing from Northwestern University. Her term expires February 1, 2013.

Mike Slack of Austin is an attorney and managing partner with Slack Davis Sanger. He is past president of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Texas and Lawyer Pilots Bar. He is also a member of the Association for American Justice and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics. He is a member of the Pattern Jury Charge Committee and board member of the Texas A&M University Department of Aerospace Engineering. Slack received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. His term expires February 1, 2011.

Bill Strawn of Austin is founder of Strawn Arnold Ashpitz Groover, a national executive search firm specializing in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. He received a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in biology from Middle Tennessee State University and completed the executive management program at Pennsylvania State University. His term expires February 1, 2009.