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CLEAT Staff
To see the list of CLEAT Offices throughout the state of Texas, CLICK HERE.
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Executive Director
John Burpo
John Burpo is a nationally recognized contributor to the law enforcement labor movement in the United States. He has worked in 14 states to organize law enforcement officers, negotiate agreements, represent officers and groups in arbitration proceedings, and direct local referendums related to labor-management disputes.
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Administrative Division
Director of Administrative Services
Susan Collins Susan graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelors in Business Administration. She also attended St. Edwards University and received a Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership and Ethics. Susan joined the CLEAT staff in 1985 as Membership Secretary. In 1991, she took over as Finance Director of CLEAT. |
Membership Coordinator
Rebecca Averitt |
Membership Coordinator
Kristi Hill |
Accounts Payable / Membership
Gina Cross August 2010 will mark two years that Gina has been with CLEAT. Before coming to CLEAT, Gina was the Office Manager of a local law firm, as well as a landscape company. Gina was also the Finance Manager of Lakeway law firm. |
Field Services Division Director of Field Services
Dwight Tiller  A former police officer in the Houston area departments of West University Place and El Campo. In 1991 Dwight decided after 17 years of service to resign as a patrol sergeant to accept a position that was offered working out of the Fort Worth Regional CLEAT office. Read Full Bio |
CLEAT Benefit Plan
Carol Whitfield Carol Whitfield manages the CLEAT Benefit Plan which provides dental and vision benefits to eligible groups’ members and their dependents. Carol visits the participating groups and their members throughout the year to hold open enrollment and visit one on one with participants. |
Director of Special Projects
Rick Self Rick worked for 30 years for the San Antonio Police Department before retiring as a detective in April 1999. He worked patrol, was an Evidence Technician, night utility detective, and a robbery
detective.
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Field Representative
Chris McGill Chris retired after twenty-six years with the El Paso Police Department retiring as Master Peace Officer. He is currently working as a Field Representative for CLEAT servicing Regions 4 and 5. Chris has twenty three years in Police Labor. He served as a Director, Secretary and President for ten years in the EPMPOA. |
Field Representative
Tom Barbee Tom was born and raised in Colorado. He served 7 years in the U.S. army to include service during Desert Storm. He has an Associate degree in law enforcement, is a Harvard trade union graduate and is a Master peace officer. |
Field Representative Mike Sheffield Mike Sheffield attended the University of Texas before coming to the Austin Police Department in 1978 and while at APD attended Texas State University. Mike was an Austin Police Officer for over 27 years before retiring as a Detective in December of 2006.
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Field Representative Perry Hyden  Perry has a bachelor of science in Occupational Education – Criminal Justice. He also holds a master of Science in Strategic Leadership.
Hyden has been a police officer for Kirby Police Department, Floresville Police Department, Bexar County Sheriff's Office and the US Air Force Security Police. |
Legal Division General Counsel
HL O'Neal  HL has been at CLEAT for many years serving as General Counsel. In his earlier years before joining CLEAT, O'Neal was a Sergeant in the US Army. While working as a police officer, he was on the SWAT team and was an underwater recovery specialist. O'Neal was also awarded the Life Saving medal. |
Special Counsel
Ron DeLord Ron is a founding father of CLEAT. In his early years, DeLord was a police officer for Beaumont Police Department as well as a board member for the local association. He also was a patrol officer, detective and crime task force member for the Mesquite Police Department while serving as President for the Mesquite Police Asociation.
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Senior Staff Attorney
Richard Aman  Richard Aman, the CLEAT lawyer assigned to the East Texas office, started in the police business 47 years ago. He took a job as court and crime reporter for a small town newspaper in Ohio right out of college. He learned then that being a police officer was more than wearing a gun and driving a car around town. |
Senior Staff Attorney
Richard Carter  Judge Richard W. Carter (Ret.) is a former judge of the Arlington Municipal Court and is a Senior Attorney currently serving as one of the three CLEAT staff attorneys in Fort Worth. |
Senior Staff Attorney
John Curtis  J ohn has been with CLEAT since 1993. He has handled numerous criminal prosecutions of member police officers, arbitrations, and civil service hearings.He attended St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio and also has a MA from Southwest Texas State Univiversity as well as a BA from the University of Houston.
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Senior Staff Attorney
Michael Rickman Mike is the Senior Attorney in the CLEAT San Antonio office. Mike Rickman served as an officer in the Mesquite Police Department for nearly a decade before going to law school. Mike met and married Mesquite Officer Gay Rickman, who is now retired. They have two sons. |
Staff Attorney
Mitch Adams Mitch Adams was born and raised in Greenville, Texas. He was graduated from the University of Texas in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He was graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law in 1998. He has practiced criminal defense law, family law, and personal injury and contract law as both insurance defense and plaintiff’s counsel in Tyler, Dallas and Beaumont. |
Staff Attorney
Chris Barrett Chris graduated from West Texas A&M in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. One of the most beneficial experiences from his undergraduate work was interning with the US Customs Service at the Amarillo International Airport. |
Karl is a San Antonio native who joined CLEAT in December 2007. Karl attended East Central High School in San Antonio and Texas Lutheran University in Seguin before going to law school at St. Mary’s University.
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Staff Attorney
Craig Driskell Driskell was a prosecutor in the Harris and Tarrant County District Attorney’s Offices from 1997-2003. For Driskell, going from the DA’s Office to CLEAT was a natural transition since both involve representing law enforcement professionals. |
Staff Attorney
Jim Jopling Jim joined CLEAT in 2008. He is originally from Fort Worth. Jim completed his undergraduate studies at UT Austin in 1986. He was a buyer at Lockheed Fort Worth Company before going to law school, and graduated from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1996.
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Staff Attorney
Jannice Joseph Jannice Joseph is an attorney in the CLEAT office in Austin. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies. She holds her J.D. from Washington and Lee School of Law.
Jannice also served in the United States Army, was a Patrol Officer with Austin Police Department and an Assistant County Attorney prior to joining CLEAT. |
Staff Attorney
Bob Leonard Robert has been an attorney in the San Antonio office since 2005. He received a BA in History at the University of New York, Stony Brook, and his law degree from Brooklyn Law School.
In 1983, Robert joined the United States Army and was a military police officer. In 1985, he joined the Army National Guard and served for fifteen years. |
Staff Attorney
Miles McNeal Miles McNeal works in the CLEAT office in El Paso. He received his JD from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and was an Assistant District Attorney from El Paso County.
Miles also served as a Captain in the US Army Reserve.
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Staff Attorney
Tom Stribling Tom Stribling is a staff attorney for Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT), currently serving in the Austin CLEAT office. His experience is in issues of personal injury and employment law, including discharge, discipline, discrimination, promotion, employment contract negotiation and interpretation, overtime pay, wages and other benefits. |
Senior Legal Assistant
Joyce Lopez Joyce Lopez is the Senior Legal Assistant and one of the longest serving members of the CLEAT Staff. She attended San Antonio College for her legal studies and obtained extensive legal experience before coming to work for CLEAT. She has over 21 years in serving CLEAT members in San Antonio and across South Texas.
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Legal Assistant
Maria Merheb Born and raised in Honduras, Maria has lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Houston, Texas for a combined total of 40 years. Her education includes a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Nacional de Honduras. |
Legal Assistant
Layne Scales  Layne Scales has been with CLEAT since October 2000. She came to us as a part-time student and became a full time employee in 2003 when she began working in the Membership Division. After a few years in Membership, she accepted a position in the Public Affairs Division where she helped plan events for CLEAT and POMF and worked as an Assistant to Charley Wilkison. |
Legal Assistant
Mayra Guerra  Mayra comes to us from the District Attorney’s office in El Paso where she was an Administrator for two County Courts. There she kept track of misdemeanor case files. Mayra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. |
Public Affairs Director
Charley Wilkison 
Charley is the Director of Public Affairs at CLEAT where he serves as legislative director, chief lobbyist in the Capitol, editor of the Texas Police Star, media spokesperson, field campaign director, PAC Treasurer, and public affairs director of the Peace Officer Memorial Foundation, a charitable organization. |
Public Affairs
Chris Jones In 2009, Chris completed 30 years of service with the Houston Police Department. He has also been a member of CLEAT for 30 years and has worked for CLEAT over 25 years as a consultant or part-time employee. Over the years, Chris has developed expertise in the technical aspects of the legislative process, including drafting legislation, amendments, position papers and bill analyses.
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Public Affairs
Melinda Griffith Melinda is the Legislative Assistant in Public Affairs. She grew up in the small town of Bridge City, and worked at Strong Pipkin law firm for over three years while attending college. Melinda graduated Magna Cum Laude from Lamar University with a BA in Political Science. |
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