Positions to be filled in election on Saturday, May 6, 2017
Three candidates have qualified for the ballot for two positions on the San Jacinto Community College District Board of Trustees. The election will be held Saturday, May 6. Early voting runs Monday, April 24 through Tuesday, May 2, except Saturdays and Sundays.
Board of Trustees Positions 1 and 2 will be filled in the election. Each position is for a six-year term. Rick Guerrero and Erica Davis Rouse have filed for Position 1. Dr. Ruede Wheeler, incumbent, is the only person to have filed for Position 2.
Rick Guerrero
Rick Guerrero was born and raised in Brownsville and attended Texas Southmost College. He moved to the Pasadena area in 1983 where he is and has been actively involved in the community. He is the broker / owner of ARG Real Estate in Pasadena and has been in business for eight years. He serves as chairman of The Salvation Army of East Harris County, is a trustee on the Bayshore Medical Center Board, and is a board member on the Pasadena Philharmonic Board and the San Jacinto College Foundation Board of Directors. He also serves the City of Pasadena as a Planning and Zoning commissioner, and is a board member on the city’s Crime Control District and Flood Control District. He is a past chairman of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and the Pasadena Education Foundation, and is a past president of the Pasadena Hispanic Business Council and Kiwanis of Pasadena.
Mr. Guerrero and his wife, Maria, have been married for 16 years and together have a blended family of two daughters and two sons, all of whom attended San Jacinto College before moving on to major universities. He says he has a passion for service in his community and strives to provide the necessary tools for students to succeed in their studies. He believes in training and educating students for today’s workforce demands.
Erica Davis Rouse
Erica Davis Rouse, a native of Galena Park, moved to the South Belt area as a child and has continued to make South Belt her home, where she is raising her family. Mrs. Rouse has a passion for community and education. Her parents lived and still live a lifestyle that modeled service and giving. Her mother, Mrs. Gloria Davis, is a Galena Park ISD and Pasadena ISD retired teacher and counselor, and her father is a retired postmaster.
In her current role as a manager for John Wiley & Sons, Mrs. Rouse is familiar with the challenges faced by students and faculty in the community college environment. She has volunteered with several non-profits including Making it Better Texas.org, Yellowstone Academy, and is an advisory Board member for the Smart Girl Foundation. She has also volunteered with Pasadena ISD including service as team mom for several of her son’s activities, mentoring and coaching in the Leaders of Tomorrow program, tutoring at New Covenant church and serving in various leadership capacities throughout the community. She is also an Ambassador for the Houston Texans as a member of the National Football League alumni association.
She is a graduate of J. Frank Dobie High School and Texas A&M University. “Service starts locally,” she says. “And, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to run for a position on the San Jacinto College District Board of Trustees. Our community colleges are core to creating solid communities!”
Dr. Ruede Wheeler
Dr. Ruede Wheeler has served on the San Jacinto College Board of Trustees since 1986. He joined the board following nine years of service as a member of the La Porte ISD Board of Trustees and now serves as chairman of the Board’s Finance Committee.
Dr. Wheeler practiced dentistry in La Porte for more than 40 years before retiring. He currently owns and operates Wheelstone Auto Sales in La Porte and is a member and past president of the La Porte Rotary Club.
He is married to Charlcya, who is a trustee on the La Porte ISD board. The technical building on the San Jacinto College North Campus is named in Dr. Wheeler’s honor.
Candidates for the San Jacinto Community College District Board of Trustees must meet all of the following requirements:
- Must have lived continuously in one of the independent school districts that comprise and pay taxes to the San Jacinto Community College District six months prior to the last date on which the candidate could file to be listed on the ballot;
- Must have lived continuously in Texas for 12 months preceding the filing deadline;
- Must be a qualified voter;
- Must be 18 years of age or older;
- Must be a U.S. citizen;
- Must not be a convicted felon;
- Must be aware of the nepotism law;
- Must serve without compensation; and
- Must not have been determined mentally incompetent by a final judgment of a court.
Voters in the following school districts elect the seven San Jacinto Community College District Trustees: La Porte, Deer Park, Pasadena, Galena Park, Channelview, Sheldon, and the portions of Clear Creek, Pearland and Humble that pay taxes to San Jacinto College.
Elections for the San Jacinto College Board of Trustees occur every two years, in odd numbered years. The board is elected in numbered at-large positions, 1 through 7. For more information about this year’s San Jacinto College Board of Trustees election, visit sanjac.edu/board-trustees-
About San Jacinto College
Surrounded by monuments of history, industries and maritime enterprises of today, and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has been serving the citizens of East Harris County, Texas, since 1961. As a fiscally sound institution, the College currently holds bond ratings of AA and Aa2 by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, respectively. San Jacinto College is a 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Top 10 finalist and an Achieving the Dream Leader College. Approximately 30,000 students each semester benefit from a support system that maps out a pathway for success. The college offers seven areas of study that prepare a diverse body of students to transfer to a four-year college or university or enter the workforce with the skills needed to support the growing industries along the Texas Gulf Coast. San Jacinto College graduates contribute nearly $690 million each year to the Texas workforce.
For more information about San Jacinto College, call 281-998-6150 or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
