AUSTIN, TX (June 4, 2009) — The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees set the stage for a busy academic year with the election of new officers at its regular board meeting on Monday, June 1. The nine-member board re-elected Nan McRaven as Chair and Veronica Rivera as Vice-Chair, and Dr. Barbara Mink was elected Secretary for a one-year term.

“I’m honored to continue leading the board at a time when the college is experiencing such success and more people in our community are beginning to understand its value,” says Nan McRaven, ACC board chair.

Trustees represent ACC’s owners, taxpayers. The board sets policy and priorities for the college and is elected to office at-large by the people of Austin, Leander, Manor, Del Valle, and Round Rock Independent School Districts, as well as those areas of Eanes and Pflugerville ISD that fall within the City of Austin.

Current board members are Nan McRaven (chair), Veronica Rivera (vice-chair), Dr. Barbara Mink (secretary), Allen Kaplan, Jeffrey Richard, Dr. James W. McGuffee, John-Michael Cortez, Tim Mahoney, and Raul Alvarez.

“We have a responsibility to the community to close the education gaps and produce a skilled workforce,” says McRaven. “The college is doing a great job of providing access to quality higher education to a record number of students, as well as expanding instructional capacity and critical training programs that put people to work and help bring business to Central Texas,” says McRaven.

• In spring 2009, ACC set a new enrollment record with 36,601 credit students. From spring 2008 to spring 2009, ACC’s enrollment increased nearly 13 percent or by 4,200 students.
• The fastest growing programs are in emerging and high demand fields such as healthcare, renewable energy and sustainability, automotive technology, video game development, and education.

• The university transfer program is the primary source of transfer students to area universities such as The University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University where ACC students perform as well as or better than students who begin at a four-year institution.

• ACC’s eighth and largest campus is under construction. The Round Rock Campus is scheduled to open in 2010, making room for additional programs, faculty, and 5,000 students. When the second phase of the campus is completed, it will have capacity for nearly 11,000 additional students.

Biographical information on ACC Board of Trustee officers:

Nan McRaven (chair), owner of McRaven Consulting, was elected to the board in 2002. She participates with Civic Interest and has over 25 years experience in corporate communications, public affairs, and government relations. Her former positions include Texas State Director of the Trust for Public Land, Senior Director of Public Affairs for Freescale Semiconductor, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for Motorola, Inc., Vice President of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, and Director of Personnel and Budget for Travis County.

Veronica Rivera (vice-chair) was elected to the Board in 2004. Rivera is an attorney with Akers and Boulware-Wells and a former teacher. She worked in the Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division and now serves on the Board of Directors as co-founder of Las Comadres, a network for Hispanic women. She also serves on the Board of Directors of BIG Austin and is a graduate of Leadership Austin and Hispanic Austin Leadership.

Dr. Barbara Mink has worked in higher education and organization development for more than 40 years. She was elected to the board in 2000 and is among the founding administrators of the Austin Community College District. She also helped found the School of Human & Organizational Development, Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA, where she has served as faculty, dean, and a member of the board of trustees. She now serves as director of the Community College Leadership concentration in Fielding’s School of Educational Leadership & Change.

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About the Austin Community College District (austincc.edu):
ACC, Central Texas’ community college, is the primary gateway to higher education and career training for residents in eight counties. The college provides access to affordable, quality education. ACC enrolls more than 35,700 credit students, offering university transfer courses, two-year associate degrees, certificates, Early College Start, access programs that get students “college-ready,” and continuing education. At ACC you can “Start here. Get there.”