Texas Association of School Boards Elects New Officers

For Immediate Release: October 3, 2011      
Contact: Barbara Williams, 800.580.8272, ext. 6418

(Austin) – The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) elected its 2011-12 officers during the Association’s recent annual Delegate Assembly and Convention in Austin. New TASB President Gary Inmon of Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City (SCUC) ISD succeeds Immediate Past President Sylvester Vasquez, Jr. of Southwest ISD. Viola Garcia of Aldine ISD will serve as president-elect. TASB vice-presidents will be Faye Beaulieu of Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD and Andra Self of Lufkin ISD. Bret Begert of Fort Elliott CISD will serve as TASB’s secretary-treasurer.

Inmon, a graduate of SCUC ISD, was elected to his local board in 2000 and is now serving his third-consecutive term as a trustee. He was elected secretary in 2001-02 and 2002-03, vice-president in 2003-04 and 2007-08, and board president in 2004-05. He has served on nearly all of the board’s committees during the past 10 years and was appointed to serve as a founding member of the SCUC ISD Education Foundation established in 2008.

He joined the TASB Board in 2002 and earned the distinction of master trustee from the Leadership TASB program that same year. Inmon has served as an officer of TASB for several years and has been active in the TASB School Board Advocacy Network, Federal Relations Network, Delegate Assembly, candidate forums, and the grassroots advocacy process. Inmon earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He currently has a private law practice in Schertz and is a graduate of Baylor Law School. He also remains active in the community as a board member for the Schertz Chamber of Commerce.

Garcia has served on the Aldine ISD board for 19 years in the positions of president, vice-president, secretary, and assistant secretary. She was elected to the TASB Board in September 2004 and was a member of the Lone Star Investment Pool Board from 2003 to 2009. She has chaired the TASB Member Services, Bylaws, and Resolutions committees, and was vice-chair of the Legislative Committee. A Leadership TASB graduate and master trustee, Garcia is a fellow of the American Leadership Forum-Houston Education Class 2, has participated in the Reform Governance in Action program with the Aldine ISD board and administrative team, and is actively involved in the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Leadership Initiatives. Garcia, a professor at the University of Houston-Downtown, earned her undergraduate degree from Texas Woman’s University and master and doctorate degrees from the University of Houston.

Beaulieu has been on the Hurst-Euless-Bedford (HEB) ISD board for the past 16 years, and has served as president for four years, previously serving as secretary. In May, she was re-elected to the presidency. A master trustee and graduate of the Leadership TASB Class of 1997, she has participated in the TASB Delegate Assembly for many years and recently served as chair of the Legislative Committee.

Beaulieu is a regional director for United Way of Tarrant County, serving the northeast portion of the county. She is a past president of the North Texas Area Association of School Boards, finance chair for First United Methodist Church of Bedford, and member of the American Association of University Women. She also serves as president of the Northeast Leadership Forum and represents the school district on the HEB Economic Development Foundation board. A school board liaison for the HEB ISD Council of PTAs for several years, she has acted as HEB ISD liaison to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, was PTA president of Meadow Creek Elementary, and served on the PTA Executive Board for Harwood Junior High and Trinity High School. She attended Mississippi University for Women and the University of Mississippi and holds bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral degrees in English.

Self has served on the Lufkin ISD (LISD) board for 15 years. Currently the board’s vice-president, her board positions have included president for five years, vice-president for four years, and secretary for five years. Self is administrative director of rehabilitation services (Inpatient and Outpatient Center) for Memorial Health Systems of East Texas, where she has been employed for 28 years. A graduate of Lufkin High School, she earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Houston, is a registered medical technologist through St. Joseph’s School of Medical Technology, and received two master’s degrees (in education and in business administration) from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Her numerous civic activities include service on the boards for Angelina County Health District, Hospice in the Pines, and Boys and Girls Club of East Texas and involvement in Leadership Lufkin, United Way, Junior Achievement, Junior League of East Texas, the Mayor’s Task Force on Rehabilitation, and the LISD Better School Task Force. Other honors include the Silver Spike Award for Community Service presented by the local Chamber, graduation from Leadership Lufkin, and appearing on the cover of The Journey magazine. She has been active in Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc., Community Service Organization, and Top Teen Leadership Development Programs, having served in various offices for the Lufkin chapter. She received master trustee designation through Leadership TASB in 2005 and was LISD president when that board was honored as TASA Outstanding School Board in 2002. 

Begert was elected to the Allison ISD board of trustees in 1998 and has served as secretary and president. In 2003, the district consolidated with Fort Elliott and he was chosen to serve on the new consolidated board. He has held the position of board secretary since that merger.
Begert is a partner in Begert Limousin Ranch, Inc., a family operation raising black, polled Limousin cattle, and in B&H Disposal Systems, LLC. He also is the longtime director of junior activities for the North American Limousin Foundation, overseeing all the junior shows and activities with the Limousin breed. He graduated from West Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and was very involved with the university. A past president of the Texas Limousin Association and Panhandle Area Association of School Boards, Begert remains an active member of both organizations. In addition, he is a lay leader of the United Methodist Church in Allison and involved in many other church and civic organizations.

Vasquez has served as a member of the Southwest ISD Board since 2000 and is currently the board's vice-president. Elected to the TASB Board in 2003, he has participated in Delegate Assembly and the School Board Advocacy Network. Vasquez also has served as the chair of various TASB Board committees, including Membership Services, Bylaws, and Budget and Finance. In addition, he served as vice-chair of the TASB Planning and Development Committee. 

A construction estimator/supervisor for SANTEX Painting and Drywall, Vasquez has been a member of various volunteer organizations, including the Southwest High School band and athletic boosters and has coached with the Youth Pony League and Catholic Youth Organization. He currently serves his community as a founding member of the Bexar County School Board Coalition and as a past NSBA Hispanic Caucus Southern Regional director. He has recently been asked to serve on the board of Friends of Texas Public Schools. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Texas Lutheran College and has been active in PTA. Vasquez also is a parish member at St. Rose of Lima.

TASB is a nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local public school districts. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent serve more than 4.8 million public school students.