Skip to main content
Texas School District Police Chiefs' Association
Texas School District Police Chiefs' Association

Chief Bill Avera, M.S.
President
Jacksonville ISD Police Department

Phone: (903) 339-0674      Email: president@texasisdchiefs.com

Chief Bill Avera was born in San Antonio, but has called East Texas home for most of his life. He is a graduate of Jacksonville (TX) high school and holds degrees from Lon Morris College, Sam Houston State University, and Texas A&M University - Commerce. His law enforcement career spans more than 4 decades including service to the citizens of Jacksonville, Brownfield and Cockrell Hill. as Chief of Police.  Additionally, he served as an Assistant Chief of Police for Dallas ISD for 12 ½ years, helping to launch that Department. In August 2016, Avera was named Chief of Police and Emergency Manager for Jacksonville ISD,  his home district. Chief Avera holds the TCOLE Master Peace Officer, Master Telecommunicator, School Based Law Enforcement, Crime Prevention Inspector, Mental Health Officer, and Instructor certificates. Avera has served on several committees charged with developing curriculum for Texas SBLE and creating standards for the creation and continuation of Law Enforcement Agencies in Texas. He regularly presents to groups on matters of school safety. On July 6, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Chief Avera to the Board of Directors of the Texas School Safety Center. He is a member of the St. Matthew United Methodist Church, the Jacksonville Rotary Club, and is the Chair of the Providence Place Board in San Antonio along with numerous professional organizations.  In 2013,  he was presented a Law Enforcement Lifetime Achievement Award. by the TXSSC. He is married to Heather who teaches high school math. The couple have two adult children. Chief Avera was elected 1st Vice President in 2021 and President in 2023. 


​​Chief Kirby Warnke
1st Vice President
Corpus Christi ISD Police Department

Phone: (361) 878-2851              Email: kirby.warnke@ccisd.us                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Kirby is a graduate of A.C. Jones High School in Beeville, Texas. He holds the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice as well as the Master of Science in Occupational Training and Development from Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. Chief Warnke began his career in law enforcement in 1991 with the Nueces County Sheriff's Department where he earned the rank of Sergeant before joining the CCISD Police Department during the 1997-98 school year. He served in every capacity with the CCISD Police Department before being named Chief of Police in July 2010. Warnke is a TCOLE Master Peace Officer as well as a certified instructor. He also holds the School Based Law Enforcement certification. The Chief serves in various capacities on several boards, both locally and statewide. He was appointed 2nd VP in 2022 and 1st VP in 2023.

Chief Paul Cordova
​2nd Vice President
​Aldine ISD Police Department

Phone: (281) 442-4923       Email:         pscordova@aldineisd.org

Chief Paul Córdova began his law enforcement career in 1982 at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. While at the Sheriff’s Office, Córdova served in every civil service rank from Deputy to Senior Captain. Córdova fulfilled numerous assignments, including patrol, investigations, courtroom security, emergency management and homeland security. While in the Homeland Security Bureau, Córdova led the first Harris County SWAT Team, Hostage Negotiation Team, Marine Unit, Aviation Unit and Emergency Management. Córdova honorably retired from the HCSO in 2014 and accepted a position as a Police Captain with the Rice University Police Department. While at the RUPD, Córdova oversaw all areas of the department as second in command. In 2017, Córdova joined the Houston Independent School District as the Assistant Chief of Police, later becoming the Interim Chief of Police and Chief of Police within his first year. As the head of the largest public-school district police department in Texas, Córdova supervised 215 officers and was responsible for the safety and security of more than 209,000 students, 29,000 employees and 280 campuses. Córdova joined the Aldine ISD Police Department in May 2020 as Chief of Police. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University. Córdova is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, LEMIT Leadership Command College, FBI LEEDA and FBI LEEDS. He was elected 4th VP in 2022 and 3rd VP in 2023.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                

​Chief Marlon Runnels

3rd Vice President
​Klein ISD Police Department

Phone: (832) 249-4275    Email: mrunnels1@kleinisd.net

Chief Runnels began his law enforcement career in 2001 as a detention officer with the Harris County Sheriffs Dept. Since that time he has worked for multiple police agencies throughout the greater Houston area. He first entered school based policing when he joined the Klein ISD Police Department in 2008. While in Klein, he worked on campus and patrol assignments as an officer as well as a Sergeant. In 2017 Chief Runnels was given the opportunity to lead the Montgomery ISD Police Department. During his time in MISD the police department underwent a cultural change where officers focused on efficient delivery of police services to the 9000 plus students via increased training and relational based practices. In 2020, Runnels returned to Klein ISD in the role of Assistant Chief and in 2022 he was promoted to Chief of Police of Klein ISD, the 16th largest district in the State of Texas.  Chief Runnels currently holds a Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Administration of Justice were from Texas Southern University. He also holds numerous certification  such as Master Peace Officer, Police Instructor, ALERRT Instructor, SBLE Instructor, FBINAA Command College graduate, and a FBI-LEEDA Trilogy recipient. Chief Runnel's professional associations include Texas Municipal Police Association, Houston Area Chiefs Association, Leadership North Houston. He was elected 4th VP of the Texas School District Chiefs Association in 2023.

Chief Anthony Smith
​4th Vice President
​Wichita Falls ISD Police Department

Phone: (409) 658-1440    Email: adsmith@wfisd.net

Chief Anthony Smith, a native of Buna, Texas, graduated from high school there before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps. During his military service, he deployed to Afghanistan and earned a Combat Meritorious Promotion as well as two personal awards. After military service, Smith went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Liberty University and is currently pursuing a Master's in Business Administration.

Upon graduation from the Angelina College Regional Police Academy in Lufkin, Texas, Smith ultimately joined the Jasper Police Department, serving in various roles over the years, including Patrolman, Patrol Supervisor, Field Training Officer, SWAT Operator, Narcotics Detective, Assistant SWAT Commander, and Detective Sergeant overseeing the department's Narcotics division. In late 2020, Smith returned to his hometown to serve as the Buna ISD Chief of Police, a position held until being selected as Chief of Police for the Wichita Falls ISD in 2022, where he continues to lead a department serving over 15,000 students and staff across 24 campuses. Throughout his career, Smith has earned numerous certifications, including TCOLE Master Peace Officer, School-Based Law Enforcement, SWAT, Field Training Officer, ALERRT, Active Shooter Incident Management Advanced, and is an FBI-LEEDA Trilogy recipient. Chief Smith is also a member of several professional associations to include the Texas Police Chiefs Association, Leadership Wichita Falls, and the Texas School District Police Chiefs’ Association where he began serving as the Region 9 Director in 2022.

Chief Solomon Cook
​Immediate Past President
Humble ISD Police Department

Phone: (281) 641-7902      Email:  solomon.cook@humbleisd.net


Chief Solomon Cook began his law enforcement career in 1976. For the past forty-one years, He has worked for municipalities, county and state agencies.  In 1997 Chief Cook joined the Humble ISD Police Department as Captain. He became Chief in 2004 with a staff 23 (16 peace officer) and in 2017 he has a staff of 82 (62 peace officers). Chief Cook has earned a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Criminal Justice from Southwest University, a graduate of the FBI Command College and a FBI - LEEDA Trilogy Award recipient. Chief Cook’s certifications and licenses include a Master Peace Officer Certification, Police Instructor, Crime Prevention Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, ALERRT Instructor and Arson Investigations Certification. Chief Cook is a member of the Lone Star College Law Enforcement Academy Advisory Board. In 2015, Chief Cook was appointed by TCOLE to be chairperson for the HB 2684 committee, which created the foundation for the course curriculum for the School Based Law Enforcement Training. Chief Cook is a past president of the Houston Area Police Chiefs Association (HAPCA) and currently serves as the Houston Area Representative to the Texas Police Chiefs Association. Chief Cook had served as the Region 2 Director for the Texas School District Police Chiefs' Association.  In June of 2021 Chief Cook was elected President. In 2023 he became the Immediate Past President.

Chief Jimmy Womack
​Treasurer
​(Retired)

Phone:  (817) 253-5902   Email:  Treasurer@texasISDChiefs.com


Deborah Bonola

​Secretary | Conference Coordinator

​Klein ISD Police Department

Phone:  (832) 249-4263       Email: dbonola1@kleinisd.net


Shane Sexton
​Director of School Safety Policy and Rulemaking, TEA
​Ex-Officio Member
​


Phone: (737) 900-7246    Email: shane.sexton@tea.texas.gov


Shane Sexton is currently the Director of School Safety Policy and Rulemaking at the Texas Education Agency. Prior to the agency, Shane served as a law enforcement professional for more than 20 years, the latter of which he was the Chief of Police at both a university and a school district. Shane is a Mental Health Officer, a De-escalation Instructor, a board-certified Workplace Violence and Threat Specialist, and he is a member of and holds a K-12 Behavioral Intervention Team Standards & Best Practices certification from the National Association for Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment. Shane currently serves as the TEA representative on the Texas School Safety Center Board of Directors.

Chief Heath Wester
Sherman ISD Police Department​
Legislative Committee Chair

Phone: (903) 718-8584    Email: hwester@shermanisd.net


Chief Wester currently serves as the Chief of Police for the Sherman ISD Police Department. He has extensive legislative experience both with TMPA and our Association.