Dickey replaces former Commissioner Kevin Stertzel, who announced his resignation from the board in April due to a work conflict. The board started discussing Stertzel’s replacement in May and finalized its selection July 31, Community Impact previously reported.
Dickey has lived in the community for over 12 years and is the president and CEO of Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union. He served on several boards prior to this position, including as a trustee for the Cy-Fair Educational Foundation and an elected representative for the Harris County Water Control Improvement District No. 157, where he served multiple terms as board president.
Dickey was sworn in as ESD 9 commissioner Aug. 6 and will serve until the seat is up for election in November 2026. Community Impact spoke with the new commissioner about his background and goals for ESD 9.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How involved were you with ESD 9 prior to your appointment? What did that look like?
Really just resident observation. The credit union had always been involved in the community a great deal ... So through that lens and trying to be involved as a citizen and leader and serving on various boards, I’ve tried to keep track of the positions that come up over time.
In this community, because it's unincorporated, the people who are typically creating public awareness and driving initiatives are the business leaders, faith leaders and school leaders ... and [ESD 9] is another one of those. If there’s going to be a big transportation project or new hospital going in, those individuals and entities are typically shaping that, and I’ve had the delightful and wonderful opportunity to be in the circle of those leaders.
I watched with [ESD 9] over the last few election cycles more information being published and talked about amongst the community, everything from talking about the phenomenal quality, the volunteer firefighters and transition to paid staff and some differences in opinion about who should represent us in those decisions.
ESD 9 board meetings, as of late, have involved disagreement between commissioners. How do you plan to navigate this to best serve the district?
I had the opportunity to sit and talk with all of the commissioners, administration, command staff and union president, and what I see universally is well-intentioned, kind, knowledgeable people who are invested in a successful ESD 9. Not one of them did I have any sense that they didn’t know what they were talking about or had ill intent.
What I do observe is sometimes everyone’s looking at the same set of facts, and they see different things. ... What I think I can do in this case is to try to be a uniter and try to diffuse emotion in the conversation while making sure people feel heard and respected. ... My organization’s mission statement is to write good into the life stories of those around us, and it really has become something I believe in so much. ... I think there is an ability for us to have different opinions, ... but what I’m getting at is that every issue should be evaluated on its merit and the quality of information presented.
As commissioners, one of our jobs in addition to asking good questions and representing taxpayers should be to make sure the people we are sending out the door feel the same amount of heart from us as what we’re asking them to go out and invest in the community. I don’t believe you get heart without giving heart.
What about your background makes you suited for this position? What do you expect to be the biggest knowledge gaps?
Strengths, I think, 30 years in balance sheet management, budgets, multimillion dollar decisions, needing to balance the decision for today or the following year with long-term strategy ... that mostly comes from my professional background. Most recently, I served six years on the board of [WCID 157] ... a tax-setting entity responsible for floodwater and rainwater detention and management, which became much more important after [Hurricane] Harvey. I think [WCID] has prepared me for some of [ESD 9].
Another thing I bring to this position is I’ve also been somebody who reports to a board of directors. ... So as a board member, I’d bring an insight to the person that’s reporting to us to understand the challenges of meeting all the appetites of the people who are up there asking them questions. ... Any time I’ve joined a board outside of financial services, my observation is it can be a really solid year to ask good questions, learn the acronyms [and] understand the vocabulary and levers of an organization.
One of the weaknesses I worry about is being a bit naive about the political environment of all of this, but I think long term there’s more people in our community that are wanting people to get things done, to do things the right way and to be kind, even when you’re forceful.
What are your priorities for the beginning of your term?
The budget cycle has already started and that’s a huge priority, to participate in that and understand the dimensions of the budget. ... As a board member, my job is to dig into and better understand, is that a good use of tax dollars? ... One of my other priorities in the next few months is to find, what do I have in common with each commissioner and determine how we can build a relationship that will aid in good communication and the work we’re doing so we can make more informed decisions and vote together, or make more informed decisions and understand each other when we don’t agree and we vote differently.
What do you hope to accomplish for the district by this time next year?
All you have to do is sit through the duration of one of these board meetings and sit in the audience to pick up on [a] restlessness and concern ... There is an open consternation that is occurring about what decisions are being made, what decisions might be made ... We have not built the belief that we are for [the employees]. ... If our employees are not convinced we are for them, even when we disagree, it’s hard to provide consistent, predictable [and] high-quality emergency services. ... So one of my goals over the next year is to balance how can we make sure the people who work and volunteer in the district feel like they have the tools, the equipment and the support of the board, while also understanding that doesn’t always mean agreement.
What are you most excited about with this position?
I like putting myself in challenging circumstances, and the opportunity to be in a group of people with really smart professionals [and] individuals at the top of their game ... to be able to be in a room with folks who have great experience and are more knowledgeable in this, I like the challenge of that. That’s what’s exciting to me. I’ve found that over time, I have grown so much by being in the company of individuals who are really good at what they do and absorbing them ... Occasionally, I have found that some of the things I admire about other leaders were attributes that were learnable.
