Houston Business-Education Coalition PAC (HBEC) Endorses Bruce Austin In Fall HCC Election

HOUSTON, Oct. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Houston Business-Education Coalition (HBEC) is pleased to announce that it has endorsed Bruce Austin in the District II Houston Community College Election.

HBEC Chair Jonathan Day announced the endorsement, and said:  "Known as 'the Dean', Bruce Austin has devoted himself to Houston Community College and to the education and training of Houstonians since he joined the HCC board in 1989. Austin has been elected Chairman of the HCC Board of Trustees multiple times, a position he currently holds. Bruce's dedication to ensuring all Houstonians have the opportunity to obtain quality education and workforce training at an affordable tuition has made him one of the most respected voices for public education in Houston. His lifetime commitment to education makes him a valuable member of this institution. HBEC is grateful for his past service to our community, and we firmly believe he will be an excellent board member in the coming term."

HBEC is comprised of business and professional leaders who are vitally interested in the quality of the leadership on the HISD Board.  Members of the HBEC PAC are:

• Lanesha Anderson - Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, ABM
• Jonathan Day - Of Counsel, Andrews Kurth LLP
• Richard Figueroa - Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor, UBS Services
• Michael Griffin - Partner, Silver Oak Financial Group
• Larry Kellner - President, Emerald Creek Group
• Steven Mach - Vice President of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Mach Group
• Ramon Manning - CEO, Partners Energy Group
• Sherea McKenzie - Executive Director, Office of Commissioner El Franco Lee
• Kendall Miller - President, Tanglewood Corporation
• Gasper Mir - Principal, MFR P.C.
• Rod Paige - Former Secretary of Education & Former Superintendent of HISD
• Gracie Saenz - Partner, Saenz & Burkhardt PLLC
• Richard Schechter - Law Office of Richard Schechter
• Douglas M. Selman - Exxon Chemical (Retired)
• Michael Trevino - Reputation Management Associates
• Lori Vetters - Regional Commercial Executive, HSBC Bank
• Dick Weekley - Chairman, Weekley Development Company
• Welcome Wilson, Sr. - GSL Industrial
• Jim Windham - Windham Capital Advisory
• Don Woo - Mission Constructors
• Lee Zieben - President, Affordable Housing Group

About Bruce Austin:

Bruce A. Austin is a native Houstonian, where he attended Wheatley High School. Mr. Austin proudly served in the U.S. Navy for 10 years. During his tenure, he was nominated for the U.S. Navy Sailor-of-the-Year award and was awarded a Presidential Management Internship. He served in the United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC, in the Offices of Administrative Counsel, Information Technology, Controller and Personnel as a management analyst, staff coordinator, budget analyst, personnel analyst and deputy United States Marshal. He also served in the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Administration as a staff assistant.

Upon his return to Houston in 1984, he served as special assistant to Commissioner El Franco Lee and later as Harris County's Director of Housing and Community Development. While serving as Director, the agency became the first non-federal organization to receive the Vice President's Hammer Award (1996).

Mr. Austin is a proud alumnus of Texas Southern University, where he received a BA in political science, MPA in public administration (with a specialization in policy analysis and administrative law), and a JD. He continued his quest for learning by engaging in further study through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (budget formulation and federal budget processing) and attended the Department of Agriculture Graduate School (negotiation, administration, contracting and systems operations). Other post-graduate education studies include courses at the Cambridge Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in Community and Economic Development.

In addition to his service on the HCC Board,  Bruce Austin has also dedicated himself to  teaching by serving as an adjunct professor in the graduate schools of the University of Houston – Clear Lake and Texas Southern University. For six years, he served as director at-large, Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), Washington, DC; region director, Southwestern Region ACCT; and a member of the Joint Commission on Federal Relations. He is a poet, an artist, and is fairly conversational in French, Spanish and Tagalog.

About Houston Business-Education Coalition PAC

HBEC is committed to supporting candidates for HCC board positions who demonstrate the leadership to improve HCC's student academic performance and career readiness outcomes.  HBEC is also committed to creating support in the community for HCC.

Contact:
Jonathan Day, Chair, HBEC
713.220.4175(Office)/713.305.4202 (Mobile)

SOURCE Houston Business-Education Coalition