Candidate for
Trustee; Ohlone Community College District; Area 2

As an incumbent, and as Chair of the Ohlone Community College Board of Trustees, I take the responsibility of being an effective Trustee very seriously.

There are two roles that a Trustee plays on a Board. The first is the role of an individual Trustee. I exemplify this role in that I always prepare in advance of a meeting. I read all the background material that is available to the public, and I ask the President/Superintendent questions that come to mind in advance of the meeting. These inquiries are meant to fill the holes in my education on a specific Agenda item, but I do not deliberate on a particular item until I am at a Board meeting. Once there, I listen to the presentation and the input provided by the public as well as the views expressed by my fellow Trustees. It is important to me to listen carefully, to deliberate with my fellow Trustees, and to arrive at a decision. In certain instances, I have found it necessary to articulate my views prior to a vote + especially if the item up for deliberation is one that is multi-faceted in its effects on the Community College District. Taken together, I pride myself on preparation, listening to all points-of-view, and arriving at a decision that I support in public regardless of which position received the most votes.

The other role I see in being an effective Trustee is how you interact with other Trustees and the President/Superintendent during the Open Session of the Board. All of the Trustees currently serving on the Board of Trustees understand how their demeanor on the Board not only reflects on the Trustee as an individual, but also how it may affect how others view the Board specifically and the Community College as a whole. I always strive to maintain a positive working relationship with both my fellow Trustees and the President/Superintendent. I focus on the issues, and not the personalities. Our continued accreditation is also predicated on how the Board of Trustees acts, and maintaining our accreditation is of paramount importance.

This year, I have had the pleasure and honor of being selected unanimously by my fellow Trustees to serve as Chair. I do want to mention that this specific role places me in a position of reviewing and organizing our meeting Agenda, to dialogue with the President/Superintendent on an as-needed basis on the phone or in-person, to talk with other fellow Trustees one-on-one for feedback on general issues regarding the Community College District, to serve as the Spokesperson for the Board of Trustees, and to be part of the annual evaluation of the President/Superintendent. However, the most visible role for this position is serving as the Chair of the Board of Trustee meetings. It is very important to me that I run an efficient meeting that keeps in mind the needs of the Trustees, the Staff, and the public, and that the procedures used to execute the meeting become routine and predictable. While the outcomes of a specific vote are never known until all the votes are cast, I believe that my colleagues on the Board of Trustees appreciate the effectiveness of the meetings. I am proudest of this achievement given what I saw was the normal practice prior to being elected to the Board of Trustees in 2008.

In conclusion, an effective Trustee means being cognizant of your role both as an individual and as member of the larger group of people. It also means, in addition to what was previously mentioned, being prepared to monitor monthly Budget Reports, studying the Audit Reports (where I serve as a member of the Audit Committee), reviewing and updating Policy Statements, recognizing individuals, groups, and organizations through Resolutions, participating actively in the Graduation Ceremony, and being a partner in the Ohlone College Foundation Board. It means that I represent the Community College in every single public event I attend. As you can gather, I thoroughly enjoy this responsibility.