July-August 2016

The Boulware challenge

Rob Kepple

TDCAA Executive Director in Austin

I want to thank all of you who have donated to the Foundation’s endowment fund in memory of Dan Boulware, former Johnson County DA and former President of both TDCAA and the Foundation. Dan was a great leader, and your gifts serve his memory well. Thank you.

The Management Training Institute is taking shape     
In the last few months we have made significant progress in designing the management training initiative that the Foundation supports. With a lot of research, discussion, and consultation we will begin development of the most pressing training need for our offices: a first-time manager course. There are lots of things that will come about as part of the institute, of course, but the most pressing need is to create training for all first-time managers, whether it be a first-time elected prosecutor in a smaller county or a first-time court chief in a medium or large county. As part of this development, we will identify the “core competencies” of each position to develop training targeted for our profession. The goal is to begin piloting actual courses in early 2017 and expansion of the training all around the state after that. Thank you for all of your support for this effort.

TPS invitations are in the mail!
In May the Foundation Board arrived at its invitee list for the Texas Prosecutors Society’s Class of 2016. The minimum qualifications for membership in the Society are: at least five years as a prosecutor, professionalism in the career and otherwise, and, if the person has left prosecution, he or she must have continued to contribute to society in a meaningful way (including as a criminal defense attorney honored as part of the “loyal opposition”). I continue to believe that the Society will be a wonderful engine of productivity in the criminal justice world in years to come, and the endowment the members support will provide meaningful services for Texas prosecutors for generations. Thanks to all of the current members, and thanks in advance to the Class of 2016!