Formed within DHS, CBP is the United States Government's unified border security agency, which consists of approximately 60,000 employees, has a collective annual budget of nearly $13 billion, and includes the U.S. Border Patrol, legacy U.S. Customs, and a sizable Air and Marine force.
Steve Atkiss is a Founding Partner of Command Group. Mr. Atkiss brings extensive experience from his service in senior positions at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House.#N#Mr. Atkiss served in the Senior Executive Service as Chief of Staff at U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), the largest law enforcement agency in the United States. Formed within DHS, CBP is the United States Government's unified border security agency, which consists of approximately 60,000 employees, has a collective annual budget of nearly $13 billion, and includes the U.S. Border Patrol, legacy U.S. Customs, and a sizable Air and Marine force. As Chief of Staff, Mr. Atkiss was a principal adviser to Commissioner W. Ralph Basham on issues of security, trade, international affairs, and management, and was responsible for coordinating the agency's interactions with the White House, DHS, state and local governments, and the press. He served as Chief of Staff during a period of unprecedented growth in America’s border security capabilities, which included recruiting, training, and deploying 10,000 new agents to double the Border Patrol workforce, acquiring and fielding billions of dollars in technology and tactical infrastructure, and the creation of CBP’s unmanned aerial program, all of which resulted in a dramatic reduction in illegal border incursions and smuggling activities. Most notably, he led an effort to reorganize the agency’s intelligence functions in a new office focused on providing actionable information to operators in the field.#N#Prior to joining CBP, Mr. Atkiss was Special Assistant to the President for Operations in the Chief of Staff's Office at the White House, where he played a key role in coordinating the activities of the many civilian, military, and law enforcement organizations which provide support to the President and the White House staff. Mr. Atkiss assisted with management and administration, information systems and technology, human resources, budget, continuity of government programs, military support, and security. Mr. Atkiss also previously served as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Advance, where he was a principal action officer responsible for the planning and execution of the President’s worldwide travel and events.#N#A native of Dallas, Texas, Mr. Atkiss is a graduate of the University of Florida and has completed programs at the George Washington Graduate School of Political Management and the Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution.
Dr. Tamisha Jones currently serves as the Medical Director of Pediatrics at Legacy Community Health—the largest federally qualified health center in Texas composed of 33 locations including 21 school-based health clinics. Dr. Jones attended the University of California at Berkeley, where she earned both her undergraduate degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a graduate degree in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials. After working briefly as a structural engineer, she returned to school and earned her medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Jones fell in love with treating pediatric patients in medical school, and completed her residency in Pediatrics at Baylor-affiliated hospitals including Texas Children’s Hospital and Ben Taub General Hospital. After several years in private practice and community clinics, she joined Legacy in 2012. She became the Medical Director of School-based Health in 2013 and tripled the number of school clinics from 4 to 12 sites during her tenure. She has served in the role of Medical Director of Pediatrics at Legacy 4 years during which the department has doubled in size from 25 to nearly 60 clinicans.#N#Dr. Jones has a special interest in taking care of children in medically underserved communities, and passionately believes in the importance of strong relationships with her patients and their families. Her ability to treat patients as if they were her own family inspires her patient-centered decision making—working as a team with parents and the child. She views the child’s interaction with his or her environment as crucial to the understanding of holistic health. In addition, she has been involved in the development of several organizational programs to integrate care including transitioning pregnant mothers seamlessly to pediatrics for newborn care, and transitioning adolescents to adult medicine.#N#Dr. Jones is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. Dr. Jones resides in Houston, Texas and enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children.
Katy Atkiss is the principal of Impetus Houston, which catalyzes initiatives to advance health equity. She brings over 17 years of professional experience facilitating community-driven solutions to create environments that support individual, community and environmental health.#N#Katy’s work includes capacity and collaboration building, strategic planning, and implementation of initiatives for the development of funding, programs, organizations and communities. She is skilled in the analysis, development, streamlining and management of programs and systems that support on-going success.#N#Since 2016, Katy has served as Chair of the Board for CAN DO Houston. She holds a Masters degree in Public Health from the University of California Los Angeles, and a Bachelors in Communications Arts and Sciences from the University of Southern California.#N#
Michael Bailey is Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer and Community Reinvestment Act Officer (CRA) for American First National Bank. In this role, he oversees the financial institutions’ Corporate Compliance Program and, coordinating with the legal counsel, is responsible for establishing standards and policies pertaining to regulatory requirements to help ensure legal, and proper conduct, for making sure these standards are communicated and institutionalized across the Financial Institution, and for monitoring the financial institutions’ compliance with these standards and policies. As CRA Officer, Mr. Bailey sets lending, investment, and community service targets and manages numerous activities required to achieve the financial institutions CRA objectives.
David Leftwich is a Houston-based writer, editor, and poet. He is the author of the chapbook The City, published by Little Red Leaves Textile Series and he was co-founder and executive editor of Sugar & Rice , a Gulf Coast food and culture journal. His work on the intersection of food, culture, immigration, and history has appeared in the Houston Chronicle , Sugar & Rice, Edible Houston , Food+City , Cite, and Houston Food Finder, where he is an associate editor. He serves as president of Foodways Texas’ advisory board, on the board of Can Do Houston, on Urban Harvest’s farmers market committee, and on Plant It Forward’s advisory board. He is also a research associate at the University of Houston’s Center for Public History.