Board of Trustees

Brett Besselman

Brett Besselman is an active firefighter in the Houston Fire Department currently assigned to the office of the fire chief. He began his career in 2003 at Westlake Fire Department in Katy and joined HFD in 2011. Mr. Besselman was elected for HFRRF Trustee Position I in 2016 and has served as HFRRF Chairman of the Board since 2018. He plays a pivotal role in fostering the effectiveness of the board as a member of the Personnel and Procedures, Pension Benefits, and Memorial Committees and chair of the Investment, Legislative, Pension Benefits, and Ad-Hoc Legislative Committees.

His interest in HFRRF began when his father, Jerry Besselman, served on the board for ten years. Brett Besselman has studied pensions and Investments, staying abreast of Fund activity. He believes in the importance of educating our legislators and is dedicated to ensuring every HFRRF member has a secure retirement plan they can count on and is dedicated to his fiduciary responsibilities.

Mr. Besselman is an entrepreneur with a commercial business and real estate properties. He and his wife married in 2015 and have three children.

Ed Llewellyn

Edward Llewellyn first entered the fire service in April of 1987 when he joined the Kingwood Volunteer Fire Department. By December of 1990, he entered the ranks of the Houston Fire Department and is currently assigned as a District Chief at Station 6. Throughout his career, Chief Llewellyn has always dedicated his time and interest to projects in the department that focus on members training and safety.

That commitment led him towards completing his formal education with degrees in both Fire Science and Fire Administration. Ed now enjoys sharing his experiences as an adjunct instructor at the Val Jahnke Training Facility and as a Skills Instructor at Lone Star College – Montgomery. Through the years, Ed has learned that success in the fire service comes from learning from others and then passing on the knowledge. It is that principle that has now led Mr. Llewellyn to accept a Trustee position with the HFRRF Board of Directors.

Mr. Llewellyn looks forward to representing all members both active and retired through committee work, teaching members in the field about the Fund, and meeting with state legislators to promote positive change. Ed is committed to protecting the future of the Fund and building on its success.

Lisa Slagle

Lisa Slagle has served as a citizen member trustee on the HFRRF board since January 2018. She has been a trustee for HPFFA Local 341 and a member of their human relations and line of duty death committees.

Mrs. Slagle is a retired City of Houston Fire Department Engineer Operator. She worked as an instructor for Houston Community College Systems at the Val Jahnke Training Facility from 1995 to 2007. During that same time, she was a member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Safety Committee holding positions as committeeman, captain, and district chairman. Plus, she volunteered as a camp counselor and board member with Camp Janus in Houston and Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp in Baltimore. Fulfilling one of her biggest passions, Mrs. Slagle served as a family escort for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation from 1999 to 2015. She is also an active member of Houston’s First Baptist Church.

David Riegor

Coming soon

Pete Ng

Pete serves as Trustee IV on the pension board at HFRRF since 2020, recently re-elected for another 3-year term. Additionally, he is the Chairman of the City of Houston 457 Deferred Compensation Committee and has served as the Fire Department representative on that committee for over 15 years.

Pete holds a Bachelor of Science in Safety and Fire Engineering Technology. He completed his probationary period at station 67. From there he served as a Firefighter at stations 9 and 19, an Engineer Operator at stations 27, 77, and 48, and Captain at stations 20 and 42. In 2018, Pete was promoted to Investigator in the Houston Arson Bureau.

Pete is a husband, a father, a former Marine, and a 20+year veteran of the Houston Fire Department.

Gerard Daniels

Gerard Daniels has been serving the city as a member of the Houston Fire Department since 2007. Currently, he holds the position of communication captain. Mr. Daniels has been on the HFRRF Board since 2018 as Trustee Position V.

Mr. Daniels describes himself as compassionate, committed, and principled. He is passionate about helping others achieve a solid foundation so they can plan for a successful future. One of his life mottos, which plays a key role in his duties as a trustee, is “Leaving a legacy that lasts.” His goals include using all knowledge learned to make the best decisions to better support HFD members so that they may have the opportunity to build upon their legacies.

As a husband and father, he wants to give his family a great inheritance both by way of financial wealth, but also in value and character development. It is also his wish to assist members of the HFD team to provide a financial inheritance for their families as well.

Gerard Daniels earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Houston and enjoyed taking classes in finance and economics.

He serves in various ministries at his church, working with children, youth, and adults. Mr. Daniels feels that working as a servant in this way provides an opportunity to connect with people of all age, share his knowledge, and keep an open mind to  learn and grow.

David Lantrip

David Lantrip served in the Houston Fire Department from1966 to 2006 and retired as a Captain/Paramedic. He has represented HFD retirees in HFRRF Trustee Position X since 2019.

He is also involved in other organizations serving firefighters and their families. Mr. Lantrip has served on the board of directors for the Houston Texas Fire Fighters Federal Credit Union and the National Council of Firefighters Credit Unions. He was a founding board member of the Houston Retired Firefighters Association.

Mr. Lantrip is concerned about retirees and their families and makes every effort he can to stay up to date with ongoing issues of our pension system and the benefits of the retirees.

David and Marcia Lantrip have been married for over 45 years. They have three children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Mr. Lantrip is also actively involved in community and church activities.

Al Mays

Albertino “Al” Mays is a citizen member elected by the firefighter trustees. He has held this position since 2004. Originally, Mr. Mays served on the board as the city treasurer from 1997 to 2003.

He worked in the City of Houston Finance and Administration Department as assistant director where he oversaw the annual operating budget preparation process and monitored monthly city revenues and expenditures. He also served as the city treasurer for five years. Mr. Mays retired from the City of Houston after 28 years of service.

Currently, he is vice president of the Association of Retired Municipal Employees. Mr. Mays received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Regional and Community Planning from Kansas State University.

Arif Rasheed

Arif Rasheed is currently the Deputy Director overseeing the Financial Reporting and Operations Division in the Finance Department at City of Houston, Texas. He has over 35 years of accounting and financial reporting, external/internal audit, and grants management experience. His experience includes teaching accounting and auditing courses to undergraduate students as an adjunct professor at Davenport University, Michigan.

Mr. Rasheed has an extensive background planning and performing operational, financial and compliance audits both in external and internal auditor capacities. He has broad knowledge of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance requirements.

He holds a Masters in Accounting and Management Information System from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

Earnest Wotring

Coming soon