Personal and Professional Résumé
DEBRA SHINDER
Executive Summary
Deb's experience in municipal government and public service is extensive and spans a lifetime. Since the 1980s, she has served in various roles in different jurisdictions, as a city secretary, police officer, academy instructor, and board and commission member. She was elected to the council in Seagoville when she was in her 30s. Since 2004, she has served Rowlett citizens on the charter commission, bond committee, Board of Adjustment, P&Z Commission and now as a councilmember.
Her work and volunteer history isn't limited to the public sector. After leaving law enforcement, she moved into the technology field and ran her own business for over fifteen years, specializing in cybercrime and security. She wrote books that were published by Syngress, McGraw-Hill, and Cisco Press, hundreds of articles for tech publications - print and electronic - and was awarded Microsoft's MVP award fourteen years in a row.
1990-2025
For the past thirty-five years, Deb has been involved in leadership roles in both the public and private sectors, building on her prior experience as a city employee.
City of Rowlett
Elected to the City Council Place 6 in May 2022. Served as Deputy Mayor Pro Tem (2022 and 2024) and Mayor Pro Tem (2023). During that tenure, served on the following subcommittees, boards, and regional and state coalitions:
Council Subcommittees and Boards
- Chair, Public Safety Subcommittee (founded)
- Chair, Court Governance Subcommittee
- Chair, Boards & Commissions Subcommittee
- Chair, Rules of Procedure Subcommittee
- Member, Government Affairs Subcommittee
- Liaison, Animal Shelter Advisory Board
- Liaison and Member, Economic Development Advisory Board
Regional, State-wide, and NPO Boards
- Rowlett Community Organizations Active in Disaster Board (COAD)
- Rowlett Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- Rowlett Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES); FCC licensed operator
- Texas Municipal League Broadband Advisory Committee
- Texas Municipal League Legislative Policy Summit
- Rockwall County Emergency Services Corporation
- Rockwall County Infrastructure Planning Coalition
- Rockwall County Strategic Planning Committee
- Mayor's Alternate, Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition
- Executive officer, Rowlett Housing Finance Corporation
- Board of Directors, A Badge of Honor (Public Safety Support)
Boards and Commissions
TACteam (Training, Authoring, and Consulting)
Owner and sole proprietor
Provided consulting services and technical content (white papers, marketing material, product documentation, courseware) in the areas of cybercrime and cybersecurity and regulatory compliance to major companies such as Microsoft, HP, Intel, Sunbelt Software, Configuresoft, TechGenix and more. Worked to bring law enforcement and information technology professionals together for common benefit. Worked with government agencies (U.S. and E.U.).
Published articles for print and online publications including CNET/TechRepublic, Windows IT Pro Magazine, Law & Order Magazine and others. Spoke at conferences such as BlackHat, Dallas CyberCon, and taught technology classes at Eastfield College. Authored and co-authored numerous books, including:
- Scene of the Cybercrime - adopted by multiple college instructors as text for their cybercrime courses
- Computer Networking Essentials - commissioned by Cisco Press for their networking academy program
Microsoft Corporation
V-dash (a.k.a. orange badge) contract writer of white papers, web pages, marketing materials, and technical documentation on a wide variety of security, compliance, resiliency, and other trust issues related to Microsoft enterprise products and services. These included numerous papers and web content focused on GDPR, CCPA, and other data privacy regulations, content for Microsoft Trust Center, and working with government agencies and international SMEs on papers about using Microsoft technologies to achieve compliance with regional- and country-specific such as Germany's TISAX, IRAP/CCSL in Australia, ENS in Spain, and FCA in the U.K.
Attained Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification and was awarded Most Valuable Professional (MVP) 2004-2018.
Eastfield College
Continuing Education Division
Technology/security instructor: prepared curriculum and taught classes in networking security as part of MCSE certification program.
Criminal Justice Training Center
Training coordinator and assistant to program director - Hired and scheduled other part-time instructors to teach TCLEOSE (now TCOLE) curriculum courses in basic police recruit and in-service programs. Proctored exams. Coordinated events such as graduation, oversaw remote course for out-of-state peace officers to qualify to take the Texas licensing exam.
Lead instructor - Taught core academy courses, including U.S. Constitution; Arrest, Search and Seizure; Use of Force Concepts and Practice; Officer Safety practices; unarmed defensive tactics; civil process; and others.
North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Regional Police Academy
Training coordinator and instructor, Basic Course in Applied Police Science - Drew up training schedules for basic police recruit and in-service law enforcement training courses; recruited instructors, introduced and facilitated instructors in teaching various blocks of instruction and filled in when instructors were absent. Served as primary contact for class enrollees (police cadets and in-service personnel), taught report writing and other courses, planned and ran extensive practical scenario role-play training exercises at the end of each class, helped organize graduation and other class-related events.
1978-1990
City of Seagoville - city councilmember and public safety commissioner
City of Seagoville - police officer/sergeant and police training coordinator
City of Roanoke - police officer/sergeant and administrative assistant to chief
City of Seagoville - city secretary
Paralegal - Law Offices of Gwynneth Prosser
Education
North Central Texas Regional Police Academy - completed basic police training as class valedictorian; numerous required and optional in-service courses, field training officer course, instructor course, instructor training and train-the-trainer courses in various defensive tactics, advanced firearms, hostage negotiation, etc.
North Texas State University (now UNT), Denton - Texas Municipal Clerks certification program
North Texas State University, Denton - public administration
University of Southern California, Long Beach - English/journalism
Dallas Paralegal Institute, Dallas - training in fundamentals of the legal system and criminal and civil law, legal research, client interviews, brief writing, document drafting, depositions and interrogatories, etc.
Skyline High School, Dallas - English/Journalism cluster
Pol. Adv. paid for by Deb Shinder Campaign
