BLINN TO ADD NEW BOARD MEMBERS

  

Blinn College will add two Bryan/College Station civic leaders to its Board of Trustees on Dec. 1st.

Tuesday the Brazos County Commissioners Court appointed College Station Mayor Nancy Berry and former city of Bryan Mayor Pro Tem Ann Horton to the Blinn Board.

“We are excited to welcome proven leaders of Nancy Berry and Ann Horton’s caliber to our board,” said David Sommer, board president. “We look forward to incorporating their vision and leadership toward our mission of providing all Blinn students with a first-rate education.”

Berry was elected mayor of College Station in 2010 and re-elected in 2013, and previously served as a member of the city council from 2004-06. She has been a Boys & Girls Clubs board member since 2004, served as a College Station ISD Foundation Board member since 2003 and has served as policy board chair of the Metropolitan Planning Organization since 2010.

Berry is a graduate of Leadership Brazos, Leadership, America, Brazos Valley Leadership Forum, Senior Leadership Brazos, Leadership Texas, the College Station Citizens Police Academy and the College Station Citizens Fire Academy. She has been awarded the African American National Heritage Society Outstanding Distinguished Citizen Award, the Bluebonnet Girl Scout Council Woman of Distinction Award, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Brazos Valley Woman and Youth Award, the United Way of the Brazos Valley Super Hero Award, the College Station Fire Department Making a Difference Award, the Boys & Girls Club of America National Service to Youth Award and the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service. Alongside her husband Leonard, she has been awarded the Amigo Award from the Hispanic Forum for contributions to the Hispanic community and were honorees at the Brazos Community Foundation Tribute Luncheon for service and philanthropy to the region.

“I am delighted to be appointed and I look forward to serving the students of Blinn College,” Berry said.

Voters elected Horton to the maximum two terms representing Single Member District 4 on the Bryan City Council from 2007 until 2014, including a term as mayor pro tem. A Texas A&M graduate, she served on the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee, the Metropolitan Planning Organization Board and was appointed by State Rep. Fred Brown to the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone #19. She also chaired the city of Bryan Audit Committee and the Intergovernmental Committee.

While on the Bryan City Council, Horton worked to improve the financial opportunities for under-banked and unbanked families, and helped launch Bank on Brazos Valley. She also spoke and participated in National League of Cities conferences and seminars in Phoenix, Boston and San Francisco.

Horton and her husband Robert own RLH Custom Homes and manage rental property. Together they founded Shelter the Homeless International Projects (SHIP) and have coordinated international mission trips to El Salvador since 2004. SHIP completed construction of a new orphanage and missions center complex in 2011 and is currently completing its third building, which will provide space for the neighborhood children’s tutoring program, the women’s microbusiness which provides work opportunities for 150 women, and housing for long-term missions staff.

“Blinn has been a vital part of Brazos County for many years and I am honored to be selected to serve on the Board of Trustees,” Horton said. “Together, we will work to strengthen the educational experience and opportunities for all Blinn students.”

Per House Bill 2621, Brazos County Commissioners Court selected its appointees from Blinn’s Brazos County Advisory Committee. Trustees appointed under House Bill 2621 serve two-year terms and have the same responsibilities as other trustees, though they may not serve as board officers and cannot vote on matters related to the imposition of a tax or the distribution of revenue raised from a tax. Blinn College’s taxing district is Washington County, and the College collects no tax revenue from Brazos County. Tax revenue represents $1.8 million of Blinn’s $106.8 million budget.