Commissioner Don W. Truell was born on November 23, 1936, in Lexington, North Carolina. He and his wife, Gloria (“Susie”), have been married for forty-seven years and are    members of Memorial United Methodist Church in Thomasville. They have two children, Michael Truell, and Donna Truell, and have two grandchildren.

Commissioner Truell received an Associate of Arts degree in Accounting from Ashmore Business College in 1957. He attended the University of Louisville in 1976 and graduated from the Southern Police Institute. He attended the University of North Carolina Institute of Government, focusing on Police Administration, in 1977. In 1976 he was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel by Kentucky Governor Julian Carroll and received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from N.C. Governor Mike Easley in 2005.

Commissioner Truell was employed as circulation manager and newspaper reporter for the Thomasville Times from 1960-1962, and was the Sports Editor in 1967. In 1968, he began service with the Thomasville Police Department as a detective. From 1976-1978 he was Administrative Assistant to the Thomasville Chief of Police and served as Assistant Chief of Police from 1978-1980. Commissioner Truell became Chief of the Thomasville City Police Department in 1980, and served until 1994, when he retired. Commissioner Truell was elected as City Councilman for the City of Thomasville in 1995 and served until 1997, when he was elected Mayor of Thomasville, and served as Mayor until 1999.

Commissioner Truell currently serves on the Davidson County Community Action Board of Directors; the Davidson County Board of Health; Davidson County Environmental Committee; Communities in Schools Board of Directors Vice-Chairman; National Association of Chiefs of Police; American Police Chief’s Association; Davidson County Day Reporting Probation/Parole Advisory Board; Piedmont Triad Council on Aging; 911 Board; Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation(P.A.R.T); Winston-Salem Transportation Advisory Committee; Greensboro Rural Planning Organization; and High Point Metropolitan Planning Organization. Commissioner Truell’s term on the Davidson County Board of Commissioners expires December, 2014. He is currently serving his third consecutive term on the Board.