ESD Board
The ESD is governed by a five member board appointed by the Commissioners Court for staggered two-year terms.
Current Board of Directors for the Denton County ESD #1
Sheldon Gilbert
President
Mr. Gilbert is a resident of Lantana and began his fire service career in 1984 as a Firefighter with the Fairview Fire Protection District while serving as a San Francisco Bay Area Paramedic. In 1986 he was hired with the Eden Consolidated Fire Protection District. On July 1, 1993, he joined the newly formed Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) where he was instrumental in the growth of the ACFD and established the Alameda County Fire Department First Responder Paramedic Program, ultimately promoting to the rank of Fire Chief.
Keith Mashburn
Vice President
Mr. Mashburn joined the Ventura County Fire Department in 1975 and served 30 years, retiring at the rank of Battalion Chief in 2005. He spent his last ten years with the department specializing in fire investigation, becoming the department's Chief Investigator. He subsequently served on the Simi Valley City Council and was elected as Mayor of Simi Valley in 2018. He now resides in the Town of Northlake.
Jim Carter
Secretary
Mr. Carter is a resident of Bartonville and was first appointed to the board in November 2010. Living in Denton County since 1981, Mr. Carter has been active in public service in the area for many years. He was the first Mayor of Trophy Club, spending 14 years as Mayor. Serving as a County Commissioner from 1999-2007, Commissioner Carter appointed the original ESD board. Mr. Carter has served on the board of directors for SAFE-D, the Texas State Association of Fire and Emergency District, since 2012.
Richard Merrill
Treasurer
Mr. Merrill has been a resident of Denton County for 40 years and the Town of Argyle for the past 5 years. He is presently retired after a 48-year career, primarily in higher education as administrator and faculty member. His education includes graduate degrees in accounting and finance from the University of North Texas. He has been married to his wife Linda for 51 years and together they have three adult daughters Kristi (Flower Mound), Kathryn (Flower Mound) and Kimberli (Pagosa Springs, CO.). Together, they have 7 grandchildren ranging from 6 to 15 in age.
Cliff Travis
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Travis is a resident of the Town of Northlake. He is a retired Air Traffic Controller and Air Force veteran and has an extensive leadership background including budget, personnel, operations and air traffic safety from a governmental perspective. Former roles also include Senior Advisor to Air Traffic Safety Vice President.
Megan Reynolds, MS
ESD Administrative Support
Megan Reynolds grew up in Bartonville and graduated from Argyle High School. She received a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree from the University of North Texas in Kinesiology and began in the Doctoral Program of Public Health at UT Health in Dallas. In addition to providing administrative support for the ESD, she also serves as the Director of Community Outreach and Public Relations for the fire department. She currently lives in Lantana.
MReynolds@DentonCountyESD1.gov