The Crime Prevention Institute's eight member Board of Directors meets monthly to provide leadership for the agency. CPI is currently seeking qualified candidates to serve on its board of directors. The board meets on the last Wednesday of each month at 5pm. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact nominating committee chair, Layla Fry, at 512-669-8999.

Sarah Binion — Board President, Event Committee Chair

Sarah Binion began her professional career during her years as an undergraduate at Texas State University. During college, she took on small public relations clients in the niche Austin arts and music scene.

Upon graduation she immediately began graduate school studying International Relations while expanding her PR/Marketing business to corporate clients in the private sector as well including: international cargo companies, magazines, airports, international commercial real estate developers, interior design firms and start-ups. Other clients include artists and musicians such as: Sara Hickman, Will Taylor and Strings Attached, Niki Duncan, GIT, Eric and the Wreckage, Tahni Handal, Lisa Kane, Eric Lindberg, David Rice and others.

Sarah’s knowledge of public relations also extends to the non-profit industry in her work with CASA of Travis County, Medico, the International Center of Austin and currently the Crime Prevention Institute. In 2005 Sarah was hired by Austin Community College as an Adjunct Professor of Political Science and continues to do so in conjunction with her marketing and public relations business. Sarah’s education includes a B.A. in Mass Communications, a composite of broadcasting, public relations, advertising and print journalism, as well as an M.A. in International Relations with a focus on espionage propaganda.

	CPI Board of Directors meeting, from left: Sarah Binion, Bishop Roy Bright, Jr., Mike Thompson, and Larry Butler.

Layla Fry — Board Vice President/Secretary, Nominating Committee Chair

Layla Fry is the Director of Special Projects for Southwest Key Programs, one of the country's largest care providers for immigrant children and juvenile justice system-involved youth, headquartered in Austin. Prior to joining Southwest Key, Layla worked with parolees in London's Pubjabi community, and managed research projects at the National Crime Prevention Council (famous for its McGruff "Take a Bite Out of Crime" campaign) in Washington, DC, where she wrote and published two policy documents.

Layla earned a dual Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Art & Art History at Rice University in Houston. She received a Masters of Science with Distinction in Criminal Justice Policy at the London School of Economics & Political Science, where she was the 2005 recipient of the Titmuss-Meinhardt Prize for academic performance and the 2005 Mannheim Prize for her postgraduate dissertation: Coping With Convictions: Exploring the Mixed Economy of the Unemployed Ex-offender. Layla has been a member of the Crime Prevention Institute's board of directors since 2006 and also serves on the steering committee of the Young Nonprofit Leaders Network. She enjoys graphic design and dancing anytime/anywhere and is a proud alum of the Boys and Girls Club of the Brazos Valley.

Mike Thompson — Board Member

Mike Thompson has worked as a Salesman/Producer with William Gammon Insurance in Austin for the last six years where he provides product and risk review services to commercial clients. Prior to working for William Gammon, Mike was a claims adjuster for Hartford, Crum and Forrester and sold insurance for the Sunbelt Insurance Agency, founded by his father.

Mike was born in San Antonio and lived in various places while growing up, including Connecticut, Arkansas and Florida. He attended Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Mike joined the Crime Prevention Institute board of directors in 2002 after moving to Austin. He has two children: Adam, 21, is an Eagle Scout and Molly, a senior in high school, plays the French horn in the marching band and orchestra.

Seth Paskin — Board Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair

	Executive Director Laura Smith lead CPI's monthly board meeting.

Seth Paskin currently works as a product planner for Dell's global consumer services group. He has been actively involved in Dell's Community Involvement initiatives, for which he received a Dell Volunteer of Distinction award in 2006. Seth began volunteering at Crime Prevention Institute in 2004 and joined the Board in 2005. He is currently serving his second term as board president.

Originally a Marylander, Seth moved to Austin in 1992 to pursue a Master's Degree in Philosophy, which he received in 1994. He enjoys French wines and playing golf, and remains an unrepentant Washington Redskins football fan.

Larry Butler — Board Member, Former CPI Client

Zack Gonzales — Board Member, Marketing & Outreach Committee Chair

Zack Gonzales is a manager in the Customer Experience department at Hoover's Inc.  He oversees a team of editors and researchers responsible for developing the Hoover's business information databases and writing copy for the Hoover's website.  Zack has been featured on CNBC's "Power Lunch" and interviewed on local news programs as a Hoover's business analyst.  A native Texan, Zack received his Bachelor's in Fine Arts from the University of Texas at Austin.  Zack is an accomplished playwright, and his plays have been featured in such festivals as Austin Script Work's 2006 "Latino Playwrights Initiative".  In 2007, his screenplay "Shoots" was a finalist in the Alamo Drafthouse's 48-hour film contest.  Zack lives in Austin with his wife Jennifer and their son Marcel.  The family enjoys running in local races on weekends, and Zack and Jennifer are ultramarathoners. 

Jessy Tyler — Board Member, Program & Evaluation Committee Co-Chair

Jessica Tyler works as a Consultant in the Austin office of MGT of America, a national management research and consulting firm. The Austin branch is mainly focused on public safety projects, and she has worked on a number of police audits and reviews. Prior to joining MGT, Jessica worked at Texas Workforce Commission analyzing employment data including tracking ex-offenders involved with Project RIO and the programs used by those displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She also teaches Political Science at Austin Community College.

Jessica earned her Bachelors in History at the University of Texas at Austin, with a focus on post-Marxian Intellectual History. She completed a Master of Public Policy at the College of William and Mary, with a focus on Labor Economics. Her thesis on federal agency support of research and development programs was supported by RAND Corporation. Jessica went on to study Comparative Political Economics at the University of Houston, where she earned a Master's in Political Science and started her own consulting business.

In 2008, Jessica joined the board of directors at CPI. She enjoys Austin's expansive running trails and competes in half marathons around the state of Texas. Most of Jessica's free time is spent reading and swimming at Barton Springs. She enjoys any combination of wine, vodka and friends.

Michele Acala — Board Member

Angus Warren — Board Member, Development Committee Chair

Lauri Hoese — Board Member, Program & Evaluation Committee Co-Chair