Business owner fills vacant District 4 spot
By Cynthia M. Herrera
cherrera151@student.alamo.edu
Former Alamo Colleges trustee Marcelo Casillas was sworn in as interim trustee for District 4 Thursday in Killen Center.
Owner of Casillas Insurance Agency, Casillas reclaims his old spot on the board for one year after the resignation of Albert Herrera. Trustees appointed him at a special board meeting Tuesday.
Casillas, who served two terms as District 4 trustee from June 2002 to May 2014, retired when his second term ended.
He decided not to run for re-election, and Herrera, former chief financial officer for the Lighthouse Charter School, filled the position.
Herrera resigned in April for health reasons after serving nearly nine months.
Casillas will serve as interim until the next election, which is May 2016. The board voted unanimously for Casillas, who was one of three candidates. The interim must have at least five votes to be chosen.
The new student trustee, Sami C. Adames, was not at the special board meeting.
Casillas said he feels there was a void in that district.
“I feel compelled to come back and serve,” he said. “I feel like Alamo Colleges needs help from someone who’s experienced.”
Casillas served on the board of trustees for South San Antonio Independent School District for nine years.
Anna Bustamante, District 3 trustee and board chair, said she voted in favor of Casillas because of his experience and knowledge.
District 1 trustee Joe Alderete said all three candidates were well qualified.
The other candidates were Karen W. Currie and Samuel E. Luna.
Currie recently retired as an Air Force logistician after 28 years of active duty. She also served as a senior research professor in the Air Force. Currie has a doctorate in business analysis from Texas A&M University.
Luna has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture and an associate degree from this college in art.
Luna worked 15 years as a resident architect at the Southwest Research Institute and as an adjunct at this college for 21 years in the department of physics, engineering and architecture. He is a U.S. Air Force retiree.
Alderete said experience was partly the reason he voted for Casillas.
“He’s done an exemplary job for that district,” he said.