Dallas ISD Honors Board Trustees

12 Jan 2007

January is School Board Recognition Month

DALLAS–The Dallas Independent School District has joined other Texas school districts in observing School Board Recognition Month in January to honor the hard work and dedication of the trustees who serve voluntarily and without compensation.

According to the Texas Association of School Boards, school boards are charged with establishing a vision for a district's education program, designing a structure to achieve that vision, ensuring schools are accountable to the community and strongly advocating continuous improvement in student learning. The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees establishes the policies by which district schools operate. Trustees also identify needs and establish priorities for the school system, from allocating financial and human resources to evaluating school performance.

A snapshot of Dallas ISD trustees follows. For a complete bio of each trustee, please go to www.dallasisd.org.

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• Jack Lowe is President of the Board of Trustees and represents District 2 (North and Near East Dallas). He was elected in July 2002. In 2004, Lowe retired as CEO of TDIndustries, Ltd. Prior to his election to the Board of Trustees, Lowe provided executive coaching and leadership training for Dallas ISD principals, arranged board governance training and presented the Jack Lowe (Sr.) Teacher Awards. A long-time advocate of public education, Lowe serves on the board of directors of the Texas Business
  and Education Coalition. Numerous community service participation activities include the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership and Salesmanship Club of Dallas. Recent honors include the J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award from the SMU Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility, 2002.
• Jerome Garza, holds the post of First Vice President and represents District 7 (North Central Oak Cliff, West Dallas). He was elected to the Board of Trustees in May 2004. A banker by profession, Garza's position as a trustee continues a family tradition of public service established by his father, Trini Garza, the first Hispanic to serve on the district's Board of Education in 1969. An active PTA member, Garza is also a member of the Oak Cliff Lions Club, Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce, LULAC, and volunteers as a coach with the YMCA. He has held leadership roles at several organizations including, Methodist Hospitals of Dallas, Goodwill Industries of Dallas, Dallas Family Guidance Center, John Tower Center of Public Policy at Southern Methodist University, and Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
• Lew Blackburn, Second Vice President, was elected to the Board of Trustees in June 2001. He represents District 5 (East Oak Cliff, parts of West Dallas, Downtown and areas of Oak Lawn). Blackburn has 19 years of experience in education. He began his career as an instrumental music teacher with the Dallas ISD before serving as an assistant principal. Blackburn has worked for the Texas Education Agency in the Division of School Accountability, and has served as a principal in Goodrich, Texas and Duncanville, Texas. Blackburn also has experience as an instructor at various colleges and universities. He has presented workshops and written papers on parent involvement, student support, collaborative decision-making and communication for educators.
• Board Secretary Nancy Bingham represents District 4 (Southwest Dallas, Seagoville). A teacher for 32 years and a Dallas resident since 1959, she was elected to the Board of Trustees in May 2004. As a member of several civic organizations, including the Friends of the Dallas Public Library, and the Coalition for the Betterment of Far Southeast Dallas, Bingham was instrumental in bringing city services such as a library and a recreational center to the Kleberg/Rylie area. She was a member of the Dallas Community Development Commission, the Municipal Library Board for the City of Dallas, and for 32 years, was a member of the Mesquite Education Association and the Parent Teacher Association, and is currently a member of the North Stark Homeowners' Association.
• Elected to the Board of Trustees in May 2005, Edwin Flores represents District 1 (Northwest Dallas). Born and reared in Mexico City, Mexico, Flores is bilingual and bicultural. He is a managing partner and founder of the intellectual property law firm of Chalker Flores LLP, where he focuses on biotechnology patent law. As part of the Lawyer-on-Loan program, he has served as an assistant district attorney in Dallas County. Flores is a member of the Science Place executive committee and is past-chair of the Greater Dallas Chamber BIO2004 committee; Director-at-Large of the Texas Technology Transfer Association; co-chair of the diversity committee of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. He often speaks on a variety of topics including patent law, intellectual property and biotechnology.
• Representing District 3, Leigh Ann Ellis was elected to the Board of Trustees in May 2006. Ellis' involvement with education includes membership on the board of directors of Head Start of Greater Dallas (1991-1995) and the site based management groups at Victor H. Hexter Elementary School, Robert T. Hill Middle School, and Bryan Adams High School. She received the Lifetime PTA Award from the Bryan Adams High School PTA. Ms. Ellis also has served as chair of the Dallas ISD Superintendent's Community Advisory Committee and is past chair of the Education Committee of the Dallas Northeast Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Women's Council of Dallas County and the Peninsula Homeowner's Association.
• Representing District 6, Southwest Dallas, Carla Ranger was elected to the Board of Trustees in June 2006. Ranger is an advocate for education, especially the importance of reading. She created the nationally-recognized Dallas Citywide African American Read-In in 1999 during Black History Month. Her read-in team co-produced the Phillis Wheatley Awards and partners with the Harlem Book Fair in New York City and the Toulisoma We Read Book Fair and Arts Festival in Dallas. She also is a member of the Asian Council Advisory Committee and the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English. With more than 25 years' experience in higher education, Ranger currently is district director of Educational Partnerships for the Dallas County Community College District.
• Representing District 8, Love Field, Northwest Dallas and Central Dallas, Adam Medrano was elected to the Board of Trustees in May 2006. His job with the Park and Recreation Department allows him to play a significant role in the organization and planning of educational and sports activity programs for the city's children and youth. Medrano has been a member of the Board of Friends at I. Zaragoza Elementary School and City of Dallas I. Zaragoza Recreation Center Advisory Council, and volunteers in the Salvation Army Holiday Meal program, area cleanups in East Dallas, Citywide Graffiti Wipe Out, Dallas Summit Youth Volleyball tournaments and the American Red Cross activities. He has been a coach for the Eagles Youth Soccer and the Dallas Medrano Youth Basketball teams.
• Ron Price was first elected to the Board of Trustees in May 1997, and represents District 9 (South Dallas and parts of Downtown). He was the first employee to win a board seat while still an employee of the district, and was the youngest person to be elected to the Texas Association of School Boards. Price has held posts as president of the African American School Board Association for the metroplex and past vice-president of the National Caucus of Black School Board Members. He was the first African American to become the board secretary of the Dallas ISD since 1910. Price has been a trailblazer in his field. He was instrumental in changing the state law regarding the sale of alcohol near schools in the state of Texas. He was the founder of the Pearl Guards and is chairman of Young Brothers' United.
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