When I ran in 2017, I wanted to represent women and educators on the board. I had worked at Collin College while I was going to school for my doctorate, so I knew what a bedrock the college is to Collin County. Now, as the incumbent, I’m even more firmly convinced of all the impressive ways the college already serves the community, and I have so many ideas about how we can get even better.

When I am re-elected, I’d like to accomplish tasks I’ve begun in my first term: extending paid family leave policy, establishing a VP of Inclusion, and revamping policy so all full-time employees have a pathway to the board as part of the grievance process. I’d also like to continue working with my fellow trustees on getting our fourth baccalaureate degree launched and with [President] Dr. [Neil] Matkin on innovative ways to help students succeed in foundational courses.

Right now, our biggest issues include keeping eyes on how the county will develop in both population and business, and to respond accordingly. This kind of response is a strength of the board and college administration. The current pressing issues include needing authentic diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of the college, especially as we near the designation of a Hispanic Serving Institution, and continuous improvement of the working environment for faculty and staff.

The current board and executive team do extraordinarily well establishing relationships with large businesses in Collin County. I’d like to cultivate smaller and HUB businesses, as they’re also vital to our community. Increasing PR and activity around our partnership with the Small Business Development Center is a great start here. We have outstanding ISD partnerships in place. We now need to fine-tune existing relationships and focus on groups of students not participating in dual credit programing.

With my background in higher education, I was encouraged to run by my contemporaries. I began to review the board meetings, and I could see areas where my involvement could be beneficial to the college.

[I hope] to support and encourage trade and industrial training certification programs; involve the business community in programs, scholarships and endowment opportunities; and establish a budget that pursues the continuance of a low property tax rate.

A. To supervise the president, B. Set goal-oriented policies and determine expansion metrics

Candidate did not respond

I love Collin College and have been advocating for and partnering with the college for several years. I was approached by concerned citizens about running for the board because of my discernment, integrity and experience. I advocated in Austin for the college to get approval for bachelor degree programs. I initiated clinical affiliation degrees at my hospitals with the college. My sons both took advantage of their dual credit courses.

My experience has prepared me to provide good governance and accountability in part by maintaining low taxes and tuition. I intend to ensure the college achieves excellent outcomes in academics, trades and certification training. I want to ensure the college expands geographically, academically and in the trades where there is evidence of unmet needs, including more four-year degree programs.

Collin County is still growing at a fast pace and needs a trained workforce to maintain the Texas Miracle of companies flocking here. Our workforce must be able to complete formal training for trades, certifications or academic degrees in order to meet the needs of the workforce and to earn a living wage. The college must continue to grow with our population and meet the increasing and changing demands of the workforce.

I have already established partnerships between my hospitals and the college. I also supported a recent workforce development partnership between the McKinney Economic Development Corporation and Collin College that will benefit local employers. Raytheon was the first to participate in this program. The college needs to expand its partnerships with local school districts in both academic and vocational training.