1. Please provide a brief biography that explains your
educational and professional background.
2. What is the role of the elected Board of Trustees from
your perspective? How does that role relate to your individual input as an
elected trustee? How would you describe
the efforts that will be necessary to be effective in your role – and what has
prepared you to be successful in that role?
The role of Trustee is to employ and directly oversee the Chancellor of
DCCCD. It is a Trustee’s role to form policy, oversee the policies of
the District, and to see that they are implemented and carried out. As a
Trustee, it is imperative to have an ability to work well with others
and to make tough and difficult decisions when they are necessary. I
feel that I will be a very effective Trustee, if elected, because of my
21 years of experience on the Garland ISD Board of Trustees. I
served as Board President 3 terms, elected by my fellow Trustees. I
have worked in an almost identical role on the GISD Board and my years
of experience and service will be invaluable in my efforts to shorten
the learning curve, “getting up to speed”, and becoming a vital part of
the functioning DCCCD Board.
3. What is the role of the DCCCD in the educational
marketplace in Dallas County? What is your agenda to continue to improve the
quality and availability of educational programs to the citizens of Dallas
County?
I believe that Industry Alignment, as endorsed by Dr. May, will be an
effective way to determine the workplace skills and educational needs of
the companies and businesses in Dallas County. I will work as a
Trustee to see that these needs are met and I will oversee the
Chancellor as he makes changes and implements innovative programs to
meet these needs in our community and I will constantly try to immerse
myself in the functions of DCCCD to ensure that the District’s Policies
of: Employee Success, Student Success, Community Engagement, and
Institutional Effectiveness are carried out.
4. If elected, how will you advocate for DCCCD students,
employees, and colleges, in your dealings with business, the community, other
public servants, and voters?
I
will continue, as I have in the past, to being a good listener and to
be out and about in the community. My uncle once told me something
simple that has stuck with me to this day. “You cannot make good
decisions with having good information.” You must be available and
willing to listen in order to be an effective and resourceful Trustee.
5. What do you see as the biggest assets, challenges, and
opportunities, in the DCCCD? How will you strengthen those assets to meet the
challenges and opportunities we face? What particular skills and connections do
you bring that can benefit the Board as a whole, and by extension the DCCCD?
Most may not realize that 1 in every 7 Dallas County residents sets foot
on a DCCCD campus each year. Our athletic facilities are open to the
public and there are many non-credit courses available, as well as
Emeritus Programs that are available to our Seniors. We have one of the
best community college systems in the state and in the country. We
have a great staff and we serve the needs of almost 90,000 students each
semester and we do it with one of the lowest tuition rates and lowest
tax rates in the state. That’s something to be very proud of. We will
continue to be challenged by declining state revenue and financial
support from Austin. We have to look for ways carefully manage our
financial resources, to reward our faculty, and to deliver affordable
programs in a cost effective manner while considering our students and
taxpayers. Having been a product of this system, I am living proof that
our system meets the needs of students and because of my community
involvement, I will continue to be an ambassador for the DCCCD because
of my passion for education.
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