Community Liaison Committee(CLC)

Welcome to the homepage for the Galveston National Laboratory’s Community Liaison Committee.

The participation of the local Galveston community is important to the success of the GNL and the Community Liaison Committee – or CLC – is integral to that participation.

The nine members of the CLC are a part of the advisory structure for the GNL. As such, the CLC exists to promote public participation and transparency during construction and operation of the lab and to advise all GNL and university leadership on issues of importance to the community. The CLC is composed of well-informed and interested local citizens nominated by the Galveston County judge and appointed to rotating terms by the Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs of the University of Texas System, and reports to the President of UTMB.

CLC members provide outreach and feedback to facilitate information flow between the GNL and the community. The CLC members meet monthly and additionally as needed.

History of the CLC

Since 1997, the University has been engaged in an extensive and far-reaching dialogue with a broad spectrum of the Galveston community. This dialogue has focused on the University’s desire to enhance its infectious disease research by building on its campus a 2,000 square-foot Biosafety Level 4 maximum-containment laboratory (which has been fully operational since 2004 as the Robert E. Shope Laboratory) and an 82,000 square-foot National Biocontainment Laboratory - the GNL - largely funded by the National Institutes of Health.

One outgrowth of this comprehensive effort was the creation in 2003 of a broad-based Community Advisory Board (CAB), which now numbers more than 50 members representing Galveston and UTMB community and opinion leaders.

To facilitate transparency even further, the University sought to create a smaller, independent liaison group- the CLC – that could more quickly address issues as they arise, identifying those it considers most important to share with the larger community and the public, and advising university leadership accordingly.

The CLC’s Mission and Charge

The CLC is an advisory committee of nine community members independently appointed. The CLC provides a forum in which UTMB can advise public representatives in a detailed and timely manner about issues of possible public interest related to infectious disease research, particularly issues involving work performed in its biocontainment laboratories (including the Robert E. Shope Laboratory and the planned Galveston National Laboratory). The committee, in turn, advises UTMB about those issues it considers important for the University to review, and to advise UTMB about necessary and proper communications with the broader public. The primary goal of the CLC is to enhance communication with the public.

In support of UTMB’s efforts to make its biocontainment operations as transparent to the public as possible under existing laws and regulations, the CLC was responsible for advising UTMB leadership in developing an incident communication plan. Components of this plan include: what information the committee should receive from the University, and in what time frame; how, and when, the committee would provide the University with its recommendations; and how and when the University would provide accurate and timely information to the public at large.

The Committee reports to the President of the University and will address questions or recommendations related to issues of public interest such as containment breaches to the President. However, relative to day-to-day operations, the CLC directs advice, questions or concerns to the Director of the University’s Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, and the Director of the Galveston National Laboratory, or to the Institutional Biosafety Committee, for consideration and appropriate action.

The CLC also advises the status of any responsive action by the University. Should the University’s response appear insufficient in the view of the CLC, the committee may convey its concerns to the President of UTMB, the Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs of the University of Texas System, or the Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (National Institutes of Health). If there are overriding public concerns, the committee may directly communicate with political and public health authorities or the public at large.

CLC Membership

The CLC is composed of well-informed and interested local citizens nominated by the Galveston County judge and appointed by the Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs of the University of Texas System, and reports to the President of UTMB.

Current CLC members include: (click on names to view biographies)

Rabbi Jimmy Kessler: Jimmy Kessler, chair of the Galveston National Laboratory Community Liaison Committee, has been rabbi of Galveston’s Congregation B’nai Israel since 1976. Born in Houston, he holds a BA degree from the University of Texas in Austin. He was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, which also awarded him a doctorate of humane letters and an honorary doctorate. He is both chaplain and campus Jewish minister at UTMB. Founder of the Texas Jewish Historical Society, he has written five books and is a contributing editor to the Handbook of Texas. He is married and has two adult children and one granddaughter.
Susie Green: Susie Green is the current City Attorney for the City of Galveston, a post she has held since 2000. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in advertising from the University of Texas and a juris doctorate from the South Texas College of Law.
R. (Richard) Bowen Loftin: R. Bowen Loftin holds a B.S. in physics from Texas A&M University (1970) and a Ph.D. in physics from Rice University (1975). Since May, 2005, Loftin has served as Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Texas A&M University’s branch campus in Galveston, Texas, where he is also professor of Maritime Systems Engineering. He also holds a joint appointment as professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University (College Station). Dr. Loftin serves on advisory committees and panels sponsored by numerous government and professional organizations. He is the author or co-author of more than one hundred technical publications.
Jerry Mohn: Chairman of Chem One Ltd in Houston, TX, Jerry Mohn is a longtime Galveston resident and active community member. He has served as a board member and/or in the executive leadership of the West Galveston Island Property Owners Association, the Galveston County Beach Erosion Task Force, the United Way of Galveston, the Rotary Club of Galveston, the Galveston Chamber of Commerce, the Friends of Galveston Island State Park, the Galveston Bay Foundation, the Galveston Historical Foundation, Pirates Property Owners Association and the Galveston Ike Recovery Committee. He has also served as President of the Texas Chapter of the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association. Born in Dover, Ohio, Mr. Mohn is an alumnus of Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA and the University of Bridgeport, CT. He and his wife have two children and 5 grandsons.
Carlos Pena: Owner of Kleen Supply Company in Galveston and Texas City, Carlos Pena is a long-time Galvestonian. A graduate of Ball High School and the University of Houston, Mr. Pena is a local businessman and an active civic volunteer. A past president of the Galveston Historical Foundation and a former director at Texas First Bank, Mr. Pena currently serves as Vice President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a member of the central committee of the World Council of Churches headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. An avid runner, he has participated in numerous area marathons including the Houston, New Orleans and Chicago marathons. He and his wife Diane have two children.
Victor Pierson: Mr. Pierson is president of Moody National Bank, mayor of the City of Jamaica Beach and chairman-elect of the Texas Bankers Association. He serves on the boards of Moody National Bank, Moody Bank Holding Company, Moody Bancshares, Inc. Gal-Tex Hotel Corporation, and the Galveston Central Appraisal District. He is a gubernatorial appointee to the Coastal Coordination Council and has helped lead numerous business, civic, community-service and non-profit organizations. An alumnus of Midwestern State University, he is a member of the UTMB President’s Cabinet, the Texas A&M University at Galveston Board of Visitors and the Galveston College Curriculum Committee.
Gina Spagnola: After growing up in her hometown of Hartford, Arkansas, Ms. Spagnola received her formal educational training in Texas. She is currently President of The Galveston Chamber of Commerce and has served in various capacities with the Chamber since 2003. Ms. Spagnola is very active and involved in the Galveston community and serves on various boards and committees including the Galveston County Restorative Justice Partnership, the Galveston Port Improvement Project Committee, Galveston Economic Development Partnership Executive Committee, the Historic Downtown Strand Seaport Partnership and the Texas Association of Business Board. Ms. Spagnola resides in Galveston with her husband of 23 years and their daughter.
Rev. Kerry Tillmon: Pastor Kerry W. Tillmon is the pastor of West Point Missionary "Historical" Baptist Church, President of the Baptist Ministers Association of Galveston, Galveston County, and a proud Galvestonian. A graduate of George W. Ball High School and presently a senior at Houston Baptist University with an anticipated 2010 graduation date with a Bachelor Degree in Christianity and Biblical Languages. Pastor Tillmon represents his church and the Galveston Community in numerous venues on the state and national level. He was recently elected President of the American Baptist General Association of Texas and was invited to declare God’s Word at the 112th Annual Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention in Raleigh, North Carolina and to present an overview of the damages caused by Hurricane Ike. He has received widespread commendations for his compassion and outpouring acts of support to thousands of citizens during and after Hurricane Ike. He is married and has two daughters, a son-in-law, and four beautiful grandchildren.
Gwen Wagner: Ms. Wagner has worked for CenterPoint Energy’s Economic Development Department for 19 years, helping it to attract over 5,000 new jobs and $2 billion in economic impact to the Houston region. She has received economic development certification from the International Economic Development Council and community development certification from the Community Development Institute. She serves on various regional economic development boards, including the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, Galveston County Economic Alliance, Galveston Economic Development Partnership, and various committees and task forces. Ms. Wagner and her husband Larry live on Galveston Island. They have two adult daughters, one dog, and a grand dog.

The Executive Vice Chancellor may request additional nominees at any time from the County Judge or from the President of UTMB. UTMB’s President, Vice President for Public Affairs, and UTMB-selected representatives of the University’s Biological and Chemical Safety Committees and Department of Legal Affairs sit on this committee as ex-officio (non-voting) members. The Director of UTMB’s Institute for Human Infections and Immunity serves as a non-voting co-chairperson. The President of UTMB selects one member of the Community Liaison Committee to serve as chair.

CLC Meetings

The CLC meets monthly, or as needed. Unscheduled meetings are determined by the chairperson(s), or a simple majority of the voting membership. Half of the committee’s membership will comprise a quorum. Any vote will be determined by simple majority. Secretarial, administrative and communication support services to the CLC are provided by the University, at its discretion, with no cost to the committee.