Leading Waco Women

Sheryl Victorian is a native Texan and 30-year law enforcement professional. She was sworn in as the City of Waco’s first female and African American Chief of Police on March 15, 2021, after serving with the Houston Police Department for almost 28 years. Chief Victorian retired from the Houston Police Department as an Assistant Chief of the Patrol Region 2 Command, where she was responsible for the Clear Lake, Southeast, South Central, Eastside, and Downtown Patrol Divisions, as well as the Vehicular Crimes Division. Her law enforcement experience includes assignments in the Major Offenders, Homicide, Special Victims, Internal Affairs, Training, and the South Central and Southeast Patrol, Divisions. As the City of Waco Police Chief, Chief Victorian is responsible for providing command leadership and training within the Waco Police Department, ensuring departmental compliance with state and federal laws, as well as City policies, procedures, and guidelines. Additionally, she is responsible for ensuring the effective management of law enforcement and community services programs to serve the citizens of Waco.

As the Waco Police Chief, Chief Victorian oversees the largest police department in Central Texas, with 24/7, 365 days a year responsibilities. Her agency has an authorized strength of 295 sworn police officers and just over 100 civilian support staff. Waco Police Department is also responsible for administering the largest general fund budget in the City.

Chief Victorian has earned many awards and commendations for her service and dedication as a police professional. She was recognized as the 100 Club of Houston’s first African American Female “Rookie Officer of the Year” in 1995 and earned a Life-Saving Award, an Award of Excellence, several Chief Unit Citations, and many Citizen and Chief of Police commendations. She was the 2021 recipient of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs’ National Sojourner Truth Meritorious Service Award.

Chief Victorian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice from Texas Southern University, a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Houston – Downtown, and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Administration of Justice from Texas Southern University. She is a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum’s (PERF) Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP), session #81, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy (FBINA), session #267, Discover Leadership Master Graduate of class #252, a current fellow of American Leadership Forum’s class XLVII (47), Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas’s (LEMIT) Leadership Inventory for Female Executives (LIFE) class #17, and a graduate of the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s (IACP) Women’s Leadership Institute.

Chief Victorian has been an adjunct professor at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) where she teaches Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice, Ethics, and the Graduate Capstone course for seven years, and taught Criminal Justice and Community Law Enforcement as an adjunct professor at Baylor University from January 2022 until May 2023.

She is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the Texas Police Chiefs Association (TPCA), the Central Texas Area Chief’s of Police and Sheriff’s Association (CTACPSA), the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), and the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy Associates (FBINAA).

Chief Victorian serves as an Advisory Board Member for the McClennan County Law Enforcement Academy, Excellence in Policing & Public Safety – University of South Carolina – Columbia, Police Leadership Academy – University of Chicago, and the 100 Club Heart of Texas. She serves as an Executive Advisory Board member for the Caruth Police Institute – University of North Texas – Denton and is a member of the Texas Police Chiefs Association’s Women’s Law Enforcement Executive Committee.

Chief Victorian is the owner and founder of Leading on Purpose, LLC., which provides training, coaching, and curriculum development services to organizations seeking to improve the quality of leadership, both horizontally and vertically, internally, and externally. She is also the creator and co-designer of “Building Trust From Trauma,” a course designed in the Summer of 2020 to educate and inspire officers to learn about the trust-eroding events that negatively impact trust between communities of color and the police. Her reasons for developing and sharing the course are to reduce harm, build meaningful cooperative relationships between the police, the community, and community stakeholders, and learn from the past so that we are not condemned to repeat it.

Chief Victorian is passionate about Relational Policing and Relational Leadership and uses her influence to improve the profession of Policing. Chief Victorian developed a course, entitled, “Relational Policing – Relational Leadership: Using the Power of Connection to Build Trust,” which she teaches as a core course for LEMIT’s Leadership Command College (LCC). She was also selected to teach a course developed by the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), entitled Safer Together, contractually through the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR). Safer Together is a course that empowers police personnel, community members, and leaders to renew and strengthen relationships by making every contact count to elevate safety, wellness, and trust.

In her spare time, Chief Victorian is a playwright and enjoys traveling, mentoring, teaching, and spending time with her family and canine babies, Shelby, and Roxy.

Dr. Tyrha M. Lindsey-Warren is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing and the Faculty Director of Industry Relations and Experiential Learning at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University. At Baylor, Dr. Lindsey-Warren teaches Advertising, Digital Marketing and is the Founder of the Baylor Business Advertising Summit. Dr. Lindsey-Warren also has over fifteen years of experience working in marketing and public relations in the corporate, performing arts, entertainment, and non-profit arenas for such firms as Quincy Jones*David Salzman Entertainment, NBC, Creative Artists Agency, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the United States Tennis Association, and UniWorld Group. She is also the Founder and Lead Producer of the Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival.

Dr. Lindsey-Warren speaks nationally on the topics of multicultural marketing and communications, fundraising for arts organizations, effective communications and leadership. Her research streams are rooted in empowered storytelling, media and advertising, “health edu-tainment,” emotional contagion (Word-of-Mouth) and the business of Hollywood. Dr. Lindsey-Warren is a published Consumer Behavior Scholar with academic articles that have appeared in the Journal of Advertising Research, the Journal of Cultural Marketing Strategy, Journal of the Association of Consumer Research, the Journal of Academic Marketing Education, and in the book, “Entertainment Values,” published by Palgrave UK.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Lindsey-Warren received her Bachelor of Science in Radio/TV/Film and a certificate in Musical Theater from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She also has a Masters of Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing, from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California and a PhD in Marketing from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

In her spare time, Dr. Lindsey-Warren sings jazz professionally and has opened for GRAMMY award-winning jazz musicians, Kirk Whalum, Jonathan Butler, and Pieces of a Dream, to name a few. Locally, she also serves on the Boards for Art Center Waco and the Waco Symphony Association, along with being an active member of the Waco Central (TX) Links Chapter, a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and an active member of Toliver Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.

Dr. Lindsey-Warren is married to Sidney Warren, a successful entrepreneur.

This year, Waco’s ATHENA Leadership Award was presented to Loren Schwartz. Loren is a senior financial advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, avid volunteer and fundraiser and accomplished community leader. In 2019, Loren served as only the second female Chairperson of the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce. She is a past president of the Cameron Park Zoological and Botanical Society, American Heart Association and St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School Board’s. She has also chaired or participated in numerous fundraisers and capital campaign’s benefitting various organizations in Waco and McLennan County. Loren enjoys mentoring young women and men and considers that one of her greatest accomplishments.

Hear from Loren as she shares why leadership is important to the Greater Waco community.

Why are leadership programs, like Leading Waco Women, important to the community?

If we want to continue to see diversity in leadership, we must have programs which develop diverse leaders. Leading Waco Women is one of these programs. It is specifically geared toward women with the intent of inspiring, motivating, celebrating and educating women.

What does it mean to you to have been selected as the 2021 ATHENA Leadership Award Recipient?

It means a great deal. I was honored and humbled to be selected in a community that has lots of very accomplished, successful women. Though women have been recognized in this community for volunteerism, they really haven’t been recognized for their contributions to their businesses and to their peers and to their business community as leaders and mentors. The ATHENA Award’s a little different, in that it recognizes people who have made a difference in their field as a role model and mentor.

Why is serving an important part of leading?

To me, to be an effective leader, you have to serve first. You have to listen, learn and earn your stripes. People are more likely to follow you when their confident in your ability, your integrity and your knowledge.

How do you balance your career, passions and personal life?

I’m not sure I always balance everything perfectly. I’m a high-energy individual and I’m inspired by being with others working toward a common goal. I require very little downtime and I don’t really enjoy being alone. I thrive on a packed schedule and I stay well-organized, most of the time. I also prioritize my day, with exercising first and then everything else in the order of importance.

What is one piece of advice you would give a person in our community?

I would say to get involved and do the things you enjoy. Know your strengths and play to them, but don’t ignore your weaknesses and the ability to develop those areas and grow and improve. There are so many different organizations in this community that need help. Don’t be shy; don’t wait to be asked; step up.

Tell us about a project you’re currently working on that you’re passionate about.

My newest project in the community is assisting Waco Family Medicine with their capital campaign to rebuild and to renovate the existing facility. The current facility, though wonderful, is somewhat institutional and was designed to serve about a quarter of the people it’s serving now. One in five members of our community, in McLennan County, stepped through Waco Family Medicine this year. It’s a huge number, and patients pay what they can afford. For some, that’s nothing and for others, it may be a little and there may be a few with insurance, so it truly is for the underserved.
In addition, we have the Waco Family Medicine residency program, which we’d like to grow and expand. It is extremely well thought of and more applicants than they can ever take in spots. They take 12 a year, so the expansion of that program, which somewhat becomes our farm league for family practice doctors in this community. About 70% of the doctors in family practice in Waco went through Waco Family Medicine’s residency program.

The expansion is an important project; it’s a large project. We’ve already had a great deal of support. It’s a $51 million project. We’ll finance approximately half of it and raise the rest through the generosity of the city, the county, various foundations and private individuals who are stepping up and contributing. For Greater Waco to have a thriving, robust economy, we have to have a healthy workforce. That was the attraction for me, having been in the leadership position with the Chamber, it just dovetailed very nicely into understanding the importance of a healthy workforce to economic development.

Congratulations to our 2019 ATHENA Leadership Award Recipient, RoseMary Mayes!

The Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present the recipient of Waco’s 2019 ATHENA Leadership Award® to RoseMary Mayes, president of RM Mayes LLC.

For more than 30 years, RoseMary has managed and promoted businesses and non-profit organizations and volunteered extensively in our community. A woman who "lifts as she climbs," she has extended a hand to her peers and the next generation of leaders alike. Her specialty is stepping in to lead new or struggling companies and initiatives - managing, organizing, and leveraging contacts to help them grow.

While heading the American Red Cross Heart of Texas Chapter, RoseMary became responsible for the management of 16 county jurisdictions and four regional offices. She responded effectively to disasters in the 16 counties with "boots on the ground" and collaborated well with other emergency responders. Red Cross hired her to reinvigorate its fundraising efforts at a time when there was an ongoing need for donations, but no local disaster to spur them.

RoseMary has earned respect for her initiative. She originated and organized many first ­time events, several of which continue to this day. A prime example is the Heart of Texas Airshow, which has drawn widespread attention to Waco. As the initial organizer of the Airshow, she made a formal request to the U.S. military for jet teams and support for the Airshow. In response, she received a 250-page list of requirements. Nevertheless, she got the Airshow off the ground.

She has actively assisted women in achieving their full leadership potential. As one of the first women to serve in certain organizations, she performed admirably and, in doing so, blazed the trail for others. As the second woman ever to be nominated for Waco Rotary Club membership, she set an example as a board member and committee chair and supported other women’s efforts to join Waco-area Rotary Clubs.

She was one of the first women to serve on the HOT Fair & Rodeo Executive Committee, a select group making key decisions for this large non-profit organization that operates year-round. She also was the first woman to serve on the HOT Fair & Rodeo Board, where she has served for more than 20 years.

She has volunteered with many civic and service organizations for substantial lengths of time, including United Way of Waco-McLennan County, the Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo, Waco Rotary Club, and the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce. She is a loyal volunteer, in her words, “Staying power is important. If I really believe in an organization and enjoy it, I stick with it. It doesn’t matter what level. I just want to help any way I can.”

RoseMary was one of 37 outstanding women nominated. The ATHENA Leadership Award was presented to Mrs. Mayes at the 2019 Leading Waco Women Serving Summit on November 7, 2019.

Congratulations to the recipient of the inaugural ATHENA Leadership Award, Jill McCall!

We are pleased to present the inaugural recipient of Waco’s very first ATHENA Leadership Award, Jill McCall, executive director at Compassion Ministries. This award was given on Thursday, November 1 at the Leading Waco Women Summit.

Jill has worked at Compassion Ministries for nearly 20 years serving homeless and underserved families. A native, lifelong resident of Waco, Jill graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science in 1975. After college, she worked for McLennan County as a juvenile probation officer for several years before leaving the workforce to raise her children.

Mrs. McCall has been actively involved in many organizations over the years, including the Junior League of Waco and the Waco Girls and Boys Club. She also served on the Waco ISD School Board from 1990 through 1996, eventually becoming president of the board. When she joined the team at Compassion Ministries in 1999, she saw the difficulty in ending the “cycle of homelessness,” where struggling families repeatedly became homeless. She developed the current program to change the lives of those families facing homelessness. This transitional housing program for homeless families is an invaluable resource in Central Texas, and its success is due in large part to her leadership and vision. Hundreds of Central Texas parents have created stable home environments for their children and have been able to obtain and keep full-time employment and permanent housing, and thousands of children have a more stable home environment because of the training their parents have received.