Be patient. Be present. Be proud.
Last week, I had the distinct honor and privilege of speaking with attendees of the Lester L. Gibson Leadership Luncheon, a storied gathering that was started decades ago by its namesake. A Waco and McLennan County legend, Gibson was a lifelong leader, serving the community as a County Commissioner, City Councilmember and civil rights trailblazer.
To say I was honored to speak at an event bearing his name is a massive understatement.
Carrying on the original intent of the luncheon, last week’s forum allowed the community’s leaders and stakeholders to seek accountability and hear introductions from a number of candidates seeking elected office, ranging from candidates for Waco ISD school board to Waco City Council to the MCC Board of Trustees.
Three minutes is not long to speak, so I wanted to keep my comments brief. The following is a summary of some thoughts I shared with the forum - and some that I didn’t have time to get to:
Be patient. Be present. Be proud.
Be patient.
As with every level of education, MCC has weathered the storm of COVID-19 and continues to fight to overcome a number of challenges that are plaguing higher education as a whole. Thankfully, we have faculty, staff, administrators and students at MCC that daily give me reason to have tremendous optimism and hope for the future of the College. Our board is committed to supporting that mission and I have been able to quickly build rapport with my fellow trustees. The reality of a board dynamic is that no individual can control the success or direction of the board. You are duty bound to work with your fellow trustees to support the successes of the board over your own agenda or ideals. At the end of the day, it’s about being patient and believing in the direction we’re headed. And there’s a lot of good things ahead of us. MCC is continuing to evolve to meet the workforce demands of our community, whether that’s equipping and sending teachers and nurses or giving entrepreneurs and self-starters the tools and foundational knowledge to be successful in whatever they pursue.
Be present.
Since being appointed to the MCC Board in February, I’ve jumped feet first into the fire, learning as much as I can as quickly as I can to be able to offer uninterrupted service to the College in my role as a trustee. That has often meant spending nights with less of my preferred reading materials of biographies and novels and more time reading MCC’s annual budget, the facilities master plan or that month’s board meeting briefing packet. I have made it my personal mission to show up whenever I feasibly can for MCC. That has meant attending every board meeting, staff professional development day, speaking to the MCC student government assembly, meeting with local ISD’s at our Board to Board meeting - any opportunity I have to celebrate and champion MCC, I’m going to do my best to show up. I’ve heard from faculty, staff and administration who expressed appreciation for that simple gesture - being present and making sure they know my face and my name as someone that is working alongside them in service to the College.
Be proud.
While serving on the Board gives trustees some influence and oversight on the direction of the College, MCC is powered by the administrators who have devoted the better parts of their lives to its service. Those administrators are supported by staff at every level who serve throughout the campus community. Our great faculty members continue to provide elite, world-class instruction to each course they teach. For me - day-to-day, week-to-week - I’ve found tremendous joy in the fact that my most effective role as a trustee is to serve as an advocate and a cheerleader for the College throughout our community. As an alum of MCC, Tarleton-Waco through MCC’s University Center, and Baylor University, I can definitively say that none of those subsequent degrees would have been possible without the foundation of belief that was instilled in me throughout my time at MCC. The College never shut its doors on me and offered me patience and grace as a student when I needed it the most. Today, I get to do everything I can to serve this beloved institution and to help find ways to connect its wraparound services and course offerings with the exceptional students who make it the best community college in Texas.
Be patient. Be present. Be proud.
-JQH
