AMCC Board of Directors
Joe Cordina
AMCC President and Mayor, City of Parker
Mayor Joe Cordina is president of both Component Technology and i-Tex Wireless, Inc. Before becoming mayor, he served the City of Parker on the city council from 2004-2008. He is a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force, with 30 years of service, and he is proud to be a veteran of the Vietnam War, wherein he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Heroism for an emergency aerial extraction of 15 fellow servicemen trapped by enemy forces.
Mayor Cordina has served his community in many capacities—as vice chairman on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Scoutmaster with the local troop, and as the Air Force Academy advisor for Congressman Sam Johnson’s Nomination Selection Panel (he also served in the same capacity for four north Texas Congresspersons). His leadership was a major contributing factor to the distinction accorded the City of Parker in June, 2010, by D Magazine as the #1 Best Dallas Suburb.
Mayor Cordina graduated from the University of South Carolina with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology, and he received a master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University. He is also a graduate of the Air War College, where he earned 24 hours of doctoral credit in international studies. He received the CPMR (Certified Professional Manufacturers’ Representative) designation from Indiana University. Additionally, he serves as the 2010 vice president for TML Region 13.
He holds three U.S. patents for inventions related to wireless communications. He enjoys cycling, waterskiing, and flying when and if he can find time!
The Cordina family consists of Joe, Patti, and daughter Lauren, with older children Andy, Kathryn, and Chris—as well as two wonderful grandchildren—living in the Dallas area and Virginia.
Jim Covington
AMCC 1st Vice President and Mayor, City of Belton
Having moved to the Belton area in 1982, Jim worked in local banking institutions and retired after a 31-year banking career in November 2006. He is a past chairman of the board of the Belton Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Temple Lions Club.
Jim ran for and was elected to the Belton City Council in 1995, after serving several terms on the Belton Parks Board. In February 2006, he resigned from the city council in order to run for the position of mayor. He became the first elected mayor of the city under the new city charter that was approved the year before. He stood for re-election in the May 2008 election and was elected unopposed.
He is married to Terri Covington, owner and CEO of Covington Real Estate, Inc. In January 2008, he came out of retirement to oversee the property management division of the corporation.
Jim and Terri have two sons and one granddaughter and are members of First Baptist Church in Belton, where he serves as a deacon.
Holly Gray-McPherson
AMCC 2nd Vice President and Mayor Pro-Tem, City of Roanoke
Holly Gray-McPherson is the business development director for Pacheco Koch Consulting Engineers of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. Holly accepted her position in 2009 after previously handling marketing for Dannenbaum. Holly is very active in her community—Roanoke, Texas—having served as mayor pro tem for five years and as a member of the city council since 2002. Holly has also served as chair of the Roanoke Charter Commission and is a charter member of the Roanoke Historical Board, which she helped to re-establish in 2007.
A lifetime resident of Roanoke, Holly and her husband Mark have two children, Cole and Hannah. Though she doesn’t drive a minivan, Holly is a dedicated Soccer Mom and when not volunteering, you will find her enjoying her free time at various area soccer fields. She is the chair elect for ARTSNET (local arts council) and is dedicated to encouraging the arts and cultural affairs in the community at large.
Holly is currently serving as the TML Region 8 vice president. She has received TMLI recognition for five consecutive years.
Marie Briseno
TML Board Representative and Councilmember, City of Lamesa
Marie Briseno graduated from Lamesa High School in 1957. She attended Texas Tech University and the Buddy Benz School of Floral Design at Texas A&M in College Station.
Marie is a retired florist, and her husband Victor is semi-retired from the Lamesa Independent School District. Marie is the proud mother of three sons and one daughter; stepmother of two stepdaughters; grandmother of ten grandchildren; and great-grandmother of four great-grandchildren.
Marie was elected to office in 1996 and served as mayor pro tem from 2003-2005. She was TML Region 3 president in 2006 and has served on the TML Resolutions Committee three different years. Marie received the TMLI five-year Award of Excellence in 2002 and the ten-year Award of Excellence in 2008. Marie also served on the TML Executive Board in 2008-2009 and has been the TML Board representative for AMCC since 2008.
Marie currently serves as second vice president on the Board of Directors of West Texas Opportunities, which is a community action agency serving 22 counties in the South Plains and Big Bend area.
Marie and Victor are members of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church. Her hobbies include quilting, crochet, and ceramics.
Freddie Taylor
AMCC Past President and Councilmember, City of Sulphur Springs
Freddie Taylor attended Troy State University, earning a bachelor of science degree in management and business administration. He is married to Rita, sharing five children, two of whom are in college.
He is a board director of the Northeast Texas Workforce Board, board director of the Arkansas/Texas Council of Government (ATCOG), former mayor and chairman of the chamber of commerce in Sulphur Springs, and has received a TMLI Certificate of Excellence the past three years.
