David J. Yebra

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) David Yebra is the Director of the Training and Leader Development Division (TLDD) of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).  Prior to TDCJ, he was the Director of Emergency Management at Sam Houston State University (SHSU).  In 2019, David was selected to stand up a new division to lead all Correctional Officer, Parole Officer, Community Supervision Officer, and Human Resources training.  He also leads the TDCJ Correctional Officer Recruiting and Retention Departments.  David has designed and implemented a dynamic Physical Agility Test to improve the wellness of the force, initiated online training development, and redesigned agency-wide training methodology focused on performance-oriented training.

David introduced numerous unique Leader Development programs recognized across Texas and the country.  He developed and still facilitates a 9-month long High-Potential Employee Leadership Academy now in its 10^th year.  The program was recognized by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities as the 2017 Leadership Development and Diversity Award for being an exemplary leadership development program. 

David served the nation as an Officer in the U.S. Army for 24 years, with three years of deployment to combat and was awarded four Bronze Star Medals during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a graduate of West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering Management, and he also holds a Master of Science Degree in Counseling and Leader Development from Long Island University. He is a graduate of the Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In 2011, he was selected as the U.S. Army Cadet Command Professor of Military Science of the Year out of 273 university programs in the country.  In 2014, he received the Legion of Merit upon retirement.

David continues to serve as a facilitator for leader development events for numerous organizations including the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas’ Leadership Command College, Texas Constables Leadership Course, Fire Executive Management Training Program, Texas Employee Retirement System, and various university and community organizations including the Sam Houston State University Baseball Team. He has presented leader development workshops at conferences for the American Correctional Association, Texas Emergency Management, Texas Justice Court Training Center, Texas County Clerks Association, and other state correctional departments.