Trustees take oath of office

Alyssa Foley, Editor in Chief

Four newly elected or re-elected Houston Community College trustees were sworn into office in a ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 21, at the HCC Administration Building.

“I just want to be an effective leader. I want to make a difference for my community,” said Trustee Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, adding that she believes, “A true education makes a perfect difference in a family; it changes our circumstances.”

Dr. Evans-Shabazz was appointed to fill the position of District IV trustee in May 2015, and ran unopposed for the seat in November’s local elections.

“If you see at any time that I am not on the right track, I am not so arrogant to think that someone can’t tell me where I’m going wrong,” stated Trustee Evans-Shabazz, “I will correct my course.” Other trustees sworn-in expressed similar sediments.

The only new face on the board is Dr. John Hansen. He previously served for 22 years on the Alief ISD Board of Trustees, and also ran unopposed for the HCC District VI seat in November.

He said that HCC’s suffers from a poor image in the community, but stated that he’s “confident that if we keep ourselves focused on the welfare of our staff and the success of our students…our reputation will catch up with what I hope and believe is our current practice. It is my hope to play a constructive role in it.”

Eva Loredo was elected for a second term serving District VIII. She was an educator for 37 years in Houston ISD before coming to serve at HCC.

She explained that she ran again because, “Your mission is never done. I just want to continue reaching out to the people, continue making HCC the very best.”

Dr. Adriana Tamez was re-elected for a second term representing District III, and will now serve as Board Chair.

“One of my personal areas of focus this year is to carry our message out to our faculty, to our students, and to our constituents throughout the community,” says Trustee Tamez, “we are Houston’s community college.”

The nine members of the Board of Trustees comprise the official governing body of HCC. Trustees are elected from single-member districts for six-year terms and serve without compensation.