Carmen Mireles, Administrative Officer, joined the Public Defender’s Office in December 2010. She was the first staff member to be hired by Chief Alexander Bunin. Mrs. Mireles is responsible for managing the finances of the office, risk management, employee benefits and compensation, and employee assistance.  She maintains all records of deposits and withdrawals, and reconciles all statements, thus assuring their accuracy. She submits regular reports to Commissioners Court and disburses all monies approved by Commissioners. Over the past 18 years, she has held positions in the office of former Harris County Commissioner Jim Fonteno, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, and Harris County Commissioner Sylvia R. Garcia, who had a precinct budget of $65 million and over 450 employees. While working at these offices, her duties included handling the preparation of the Commissioners Court agenda for review and the budget for six county courthouse annexes that served 15 municipalities.