Texas Border Business
McAllen, TX (November 6, 2014) – The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) has announced that South Texas College Trustee Rose Benavidez was elected by her peer trustees from over 1200 member colleges of the ACCT to serve on the 2014-2015 Diversity Committee as a representative from the Western Region. The election and announcement took place at the 2014 ACCT Leadership Congress October 22-25, in Chicago, Il.
The Diversity Committee consists of 10 members, two from each region, that include the Central, Northeast, Pacific, Southern and Western regions. These members serve staggered two-year terms.
“I have been privileged to serve my community and hope to continue to build and reinforce opportunities for collaborative success that ensure our students’ educational needs are exceeded,” stated Benavidez. “I have witnessed the challenges involved in overcoming high unemployment and poverty levels and have worked hard to assist in reducing many of these obstacles. I am honored to be a voice for those in our minority communities who often face a lifetime of disadvantage by working with my colleagues to develop an accessible lifeline of achievement.”
Benavidez has served on the South Texas College Board of Trustees since 2009. A tireless advocate for her constituents in Starr County, Texas, Benavidez was re-elected to continue to represent the entirety of Starr County in May 2012, and was elected by her fellow Trustees to serve as the Board Chair. She Chaired the Board during its November 2013 Bond and Maintenance Tax Election, and her constituents in Starr County and their strong support of South Texas College were instrumental in seeing the bond and the maintenance tax increase approved.
In addition to Chairing the Board, Benavidez has served on the Facilities Committee since December 2009 and the Finance and Human Resources Committee since July 2010.
Benavidez also serves as Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Association of Latino Community College Trustees (ALCCT), a renowned international Trustee leadership organization.
Benavidez’s leadership continues to have a positive impact throughout South Texas as President of the Starr County Industrial Foundation. Her dedication to education and public service is a testament to her father, founding South Texas College Trustee Manuel Benavidez, who also served on the ACCT Diversity Committee and was the recipient of the ACCT 2006 Western Region Trustee Leadership Award.
The ACCT is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond. For more information, visit www.acct.org.
