The search for a fifth commissioner comes after Kevin Stertzel announced his resignation from the board in April. The appointee will serve on the ESD 9 board until the next commissioner election in November 2026.
Andrew Choi, Cameron Dickey and David Langenberg were selected as finalists after commissioners publicly interviewed nine applicants during the meeting.
About the candidates
Andrew Choi is a physician who has been living in the Cypress area for 10 years. He completed his medical residency in emergency medicine and started working at HCA Houston Healthcare in Kingwood. He served as chief of staff at the hospital for two years and has a Master of Business Administration.
Choi said he works closely with the Cy-Fair Fire Department’s emergency medical services personnel as a physician in the hospital’s emergency department. He said his familiarity with the day-to-day operations of emergency medicine makes him a unique addition to the board.
“I think [this role] would be a good balance of supporting and keeping people accountable,” Choi said during his interview. “I’m not here to rile anyone up, just to serve, give some insight and be responsible with resources.”
Cameron Dickey has a background in finance as the president and CEO of Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union, where he’s worked for 12 years. Dickey is also an elected representative for the Harris County Water Control and Improvement District 157 for the last six years, where he serves as president.
With experience serving on multiple boards of directors, Dickey said he understands how to provide governance and work collaboratively with other leaders.
“On any board that you serve on, you want to be a contributor and someone that can help the entire group perform its functions and evolve to all kinds of changing needs,” Dickey said in his interview.
David Langenberg is the fire chief at the Humble Fire Department and a former ESD 9 commissioner. He held his position as commissioner for eight years until his second term ended and he was not re-elected last fall. Langenberg has lived in Cypress for over 40 years and worked as a volunteer firefighter for 12 years before running for the ESD 9 board.
Langenberg said he brings technical understanding, institutional knowledge and connection to emergency personnel as a former commissioner. He said his greatest achievement was helping his fire department become a part of the district and transition away from an all-volunteer status.
“I bring a middleman approach,” Langenberg said during his interview. “Working in the fire and EMS services and having a degree in public administration I think is very important, and this board needs someone on it that has some sort of fire background.”
Stay tuned
The board has 90 days from Stertzel’s resignation to fill the vacancy. The next ESD 9 board meeting is scheduled for July 24.
