Beebe Appoints Two College Trustees

— NorthWest Arkansas Community College’s board will meet later this month with six new board members, two of whom were appointed Wednesday by Gov. Mike Beebe.

Profiles

Mauricio Herrera

Age: 44

Family: Wife, Virginia; one girl, two boys

Occupation: Partner at Matthew, Campbell, Roads, McClure & Thompson law firm

Education: Juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas

Political experience: Unsuccessfully ran for Rogers City Council in 2012

Geovanny Sarmiento

Age: 38

Family: Wife, Lisa; two daughters

Occupation: Vice president for Minority Business Development for Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business, University of Azuay, Cuenca, Ecuador

Political experience: None

Mauricio Herrera of Rogers and Geovanny Sarmiento of Bentonville will fill two vacant seats on the board. No one filed to run for those positions in November.

Every board position was up for election Nov. 6 following a new state law requiring two-year colleges to run elections by zones if one minority population is more than 10 percent in a college’s taxing district. The 2010 U.S. Census showed the Bentonville community college met that criteria.

Ric Clifford, board chairman, said he looks forward to working with new trustees recently appointed by the governor.

“I am excited that these two candidates have been selected by the governor because it puts the college in a position to have the Board of Trustees make up, or closely reflect, the diversity of the student population,” Clifford said.

Clifford said 1,169 of the community college’s 8,400 students are Hispanic or Latino.

“Twenty-two percent of the board will be diverse,” Clifford said.

Sarmiento said he is excited about the opportunity to serve the community through his board seat.

“I come from a family where I was the first person to receive higher education,” Sarmiento said. “I am proud of that, and I think well-educated people will have a better opportunity in life. I believe in higher education, and I think it should be available to everyone in our community.”

Herrera said he looks forward to learning about the role he can play on the college’s board.

“I think education is important for everybody, especially nowadays,” Herrera said.

Board members will draw lots for the terms they will spend on the board at the Jan. 14 meeting.

Three trustees will serve for two years, three for four years and three for six years, Clifford said.

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