Meet Our Team
ESD1 is overseen by five emergency service district commissioners that are appointed by the Hays County Commissioners Court and are residents of the ESD1. Emergency service district commissions for ESD1 serve two-year terms as provided under section 775.034 of the Texas Health and Safety Code. All ESD1 commissioners are volunteers, meaning they receive no compensation for their work.
Commissioners of the NHCESD1 also serve as officers for the District and as committee members. ESD commissioners receive training in the operation of political subdivisions, including training by the State Attorney General’s Office on the Open Meetings Act and the Open Records Act. Additionally, commissioners receive training from the Texas State Association of Fire and Emergency Districts (“SAFE-D”) or other approved training.
Bob Luddy
District Administrator
Bob Luddy has lived in the Dripping Springs area with his wife and children since 2015. Born in Southern California, Bob has made a career out of pre-hospital EMS and rescue. He received EMT-B certification in 1995 as a teenager and paramedic certification in 1998. He worked full time in EMS from mid-1995 to 2022, with the vast majority of his career being served on an ambulance. In 1998 Bob re-located to Austin to accept a position as a paramedic with the city of Austin. In 1999 Bob was accepted to the EMS Special Operations team and began training in many aspects of technical and water rescue. In addition to typical paramedic work, he has experience as a Field Training Officer, a Rescue Training Officer and member of the Honor Guard, and has held instructor certifications in CPR, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support, Basic Trauma Life Support, and Advanced Trauma Life Support. Bob was a member of Texas Task Force 1 USAR team from 2001 to 2021 where he served as a Swift-water Rescue Specialist, Swift-water Boat Operator, Helicopter Search and Rescue Technician and Water Rescue Squad Leader. Bob is a licensed EMS educator, a certified flight paramedic and has held certifications as a Critical Care Paramedic. Bob served the last three years of his tenure with the City of Austin as the Special Operations Training Captain for Austin-Travis County EMS. Bob Retired from ATCEMS December 31, 2021. In addition to his career in EMS, Bob was appointed as ESD Commissioner for North Hays County ESD1 in early 2019: he served on the board of directors until October 2023.
Staci Dement
President
Staci Dement is originally from the Oak Hill area of Austin, Texas and has lived in the North Hays County area since 2001 with her husband, son, daughter, and furry kids. She is a Physician Relations Manager in the strategic operations department of Ascension Texas with a focus on Ascension Seton Hays and Ascension Seton Southwest. Prior to working for Ascension, Staci spent the last 30 years working in the Healthcare & Hospital industry. She has worked in both operations and sales capacity for Home Health, Hospice, Physician House Call Services, Wound Care/Hyperbaric Medicine, and Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation. Staci holds a degree in Healthcare Administration from Southwest Texas State University. Staci is very passionate about helping others and is extremely proud of working for Ascension Texas.
In her spare time, Staci enjoys watching her kids play sports, spending time on the lake, at the beach, and at her farm in South Texas.
Dan O'Brien
Vice President
Dan and his wife, Angela, and their daughter live in the Dripping Springs community. Dan is a partner in a local law firm and has practiced law for more than 22 years. He first served on the board from 2017 to 2021, including as the Board’s President. He is a former Commissioner of the Dripping Springs Emergency Management and is a Certified Emergency Service Commissioner by the Texas State Association for Fire and Emergency Services (SAFE-D). He holds degrees in Economics and History from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from Baylor University School of Law. In 2021, he stepped down from the Board to serve as a Hays County Court at Law Judge. For many years, he has served as an officer or director of many local organizations including the Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce, Hays County Bar Association, and the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center.
Cristina Nelson
Secretary
cristina.nelson@northhaysems.org
Cristina Nelson is a lawyer with her own law firm that focuses on helping individuals and small businesses plan for the future. Her practice focuses primarily on probates, estate planning, family law, and business entity formation. Cristina is also a fervent mediator who assists people in resolving their issues outside of the courtroom.
Originally from Brownsville, Texas, Cristina and her family moved to Dripping Springs in 2014 after having lived in San Antonio for almost eight years. She attended Harvard University for her undergraduate degree and the University of Texas School of Law for her law degree.
Cristina is married to a biomedical engineer who enjoys playing and making electric guitars as a hobby. They are raising two young boys and two heelers with whom they spend as much time as possible outside of the office.
Darrell Debish
Treasurer
darrell.debish@northhaysems.org
Darrell Debish serves as the Lead Program Consultant of Acquisitions; he leads a cutting-edge ensemble in conjunction with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency logistic development branch in endeavoring support of the Department of Defense.
Prior to joining Front Line, he spent 28 years of service in the United States Army operating in distribution and transportation. Darrell served in several combat missions supporting the Global War on Terrorism and Stability. He meritoriously retired in 2017 as a Lieutenant Colonel as the Chief of Sustainment in Southern Afghanistan.
Darrell is a U.S. Army Graduate with Program Management and Level III Contracting, as well as a Graduate of the Army Communities of Excellence Training and Submission program. He attended Touro International University where he earned his Master of Education in Education Administration and The University of Texas, Austin receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.
In his spare time, Darrell is a cactaceae aficionado, dicotyledon enthusiast and enjoys boating on the surrounding lakes in the central Texas area.
Darrell follows the mantra of Theodore Roosevelt “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you Care”.
Christine Lowrance
Executive Assistant
Christine.Lowrance@northhaysems.org
Christine Lowrance is a Dripping Springs native and resides in the community with her young daughter. She has watched Dripping Springs grow from the small town she grew up in, to the much larger and more vibrant city that it is today. Christine spent the last 14 years in the real estate industry running operations for brokerages, individual agents and teams of varying sizes. Her experience has provided her with not only the operational and organizational skills that the district needs, but also strong connections and relationships with other business professionals in the community, bringing a fresh and valuable skill set to the District Administrative office.
In her off time, she enjoys experiencing live music, attending community events with her daughter, photography and traveling when the opportunity arises.