Paula Harris Named HISD Board Of Education President

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday unanimously elected Paula Harris to a one-year term as president.

Elected to the board in 2007, Harris represents District IV, which includes much of south Houston. As president, Harris said she is committed to representing all HISD students.

A Houston native, Harris has a petroleum engineering degree from Texas A&M University and has worked in the oil industry for more than two decades, currently as director of community affairs for a major company. Harris is a published author who has been named to Black Engineer’s “50 Who Make a Difference” and “Key Women in Energy” as well as receiving the “Women of Color in Technology” award. She has been nominated for a Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Role Model Award, which will be handed out later this month.

Harris and her husband Dwayne are the owners of DPM Investments. Their daughter is a HISD student.

“I’m very honored that my colleagues have entrusted me with this huge responsibility,” Harris said. “Our goal is to meet the needs of every child, family and community in the Houston area. We’ll continue working tirelessly to put together strategic plans to bring our schools to an even higher level.”

Harris succeeds Trustee Greg Meyers, who led the board during a year that saw the launch of several high-impact initiatives. Those initiatives include the creation of HISD’s Strategic Direction and the ambitious Apollo 20 program aimed at transforming struggling schools. Meyers thanked his Board of Education colleagues, HISD teachers and administrators for their hard work on behalf of the students.

“It is because of you that HISD has a record number of schools ranked on Newsweek’s list of America’s best high schools, that our students are taking more AP exams than ever before and that five schools are National Blue Ribbon Award winners,” Meyers said. “These accomplishments are possible because of your tireless efforts and the contributions you make as a member of TEAM HISD.”

Other 2011 board officers named on Thursday were First Vice President Manuel Rodriguez Jr., Second Vice President Anna Eastman, Secretary Carol Mims Galloway and Assistant Secretary Michael Lunceford.