1. Please provide a brief
biography that explains your educational and professional background.
I am an attorney and I
have held executive management roles with Texas Instruments Incorporated (20
years), Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (5 years) and the Meadows
Mental Health Policy Institute (2 years). I have a BA with Honors in Urban
Studies from the University of Maryland – College Park; a Juris Doctorate from
the University of Maryland School of Law, and a Masters of Public Affairs from
the LBJ School of Public Affairs – University of Texas at Austin. More
information is available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pjritter.
During my time with Texas
Instruments, which included service on the TI Foundation, I became deeply
involved in education policy, with particular emphasis on early childhood
education, STEM, and university advancement. This led to my service as chairman
of the Alliance for Higher Education (which ran DFW’s first distance education
network beginning in the 1960s), the Texas Education Reform Caucus, and my
current role as Chairman of the Development Board of the University of Texas at
Dallas. I was active for many years in the DCCCD Foundation, focusing on
efforts to raise funds for Rising Star Scholarships. In 2004 I chaired the
successful $450 million bond campaign for DCCCD.
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 Board’s role is to set
policy and provide fiduciary oversight, review and approve annual budgets, and
hire the Chancellor and hold him/her accountable for defined results.
Trustees come from a
variety of backgrounds, and it is important that trustees listen to each other
as well as bringing their own perspectives to the board table. No Trustee can
act unilaterally on behalf of the district, so the collective ability of the
board to forge consensus is vital to the success of the DCCCD.
I have been fortunate to
participate on the board of directors and in executive staff roles with two
successful public entities: Dallas Area Rapid Transit, and DFW International
Airport respectively. These experiences prepare me to serve as a Trustee of
DCCCD. I believe my strengths lie in the areas of articulating and advancing
strategic goals, creating appropriate metrics and accountability, and being an
effective advocate in the community and with state and federal government.
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?
There are four primary
roles for DCCCD in the educational marketplace: to serve as a high quality and
cost effective option for lower division four-year degree candidates; to
deliver training leading to two year degrees and certifications for technical,
vocational and allied health professions; and to provide a reentry point for
adults who seek to return to higher education for re-training or to seek a
degree; and to serve as a contract training resource for employers.
As Trustee I will strive
to improve the quality and availability of educational programs by allocating
resources to student success initiatives, reducing administrative expenses, and
facilitating constructive collaboration and resource development activities
with businesses and individuals in the private sector.
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 be a visible
presence in the community on behalf of DCCCD, and I will advocate for the
district with the substantial network of elected officials, opinion leaders,
educators and business executives that I have established through my 30-year
professional career in Dallas, the State of Texas, and nationally. I will
participate and seek leadership roles in business, policy, and educational
organizations that advance the mission of DCCCD. I will make myself accessible
to my constituents and the stakeholders of the district, including students,
professors, and staff members.
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?
The biggest asset of the
district is the quality of its vision and mission, and the scale by which it
delivers high quality, affordable higher education to the community. The
biggest challenge facing the district is balancing revenues and expenditures;
and particularly assuring that tuition remains affordable while not
overburdening taxpayers in an era of declining state revenue. The biggest
opportunity for the district is to innovate new and creative models for
designing and delivering education and training to meet the demands of the
growing DFW economy. I intend to bring my business experience to the table in
the budgeting process, and maximize return on the substantial revenues
entrusted to DCCCD by taxpayers, students and their families. I will hone my
advocacy skills on behalf of DCCCD, developed through my service on the DCCCD
Foundation and as chair of the 2004 Bond Campaign, to drive results that
advance the mission of the DCCCD. I will support the Chancellor and assure
appropriate accountability by DCCCD administration. I have spent most of my
adult life engaged in advocacy for business and education, and I know the audiences
and control points that influence the success of DCCCD. I embrace the
opportunity to serve as Trustee, and I respectfully ask for your vote.
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