February 2, 2012

 Austin, TX—The Mexican American School Board Association (MASBA) has elected Austin Independent School District Trustee Sam Guzman to serve as its 2013 president. MASBA elected Guzman in January at its annual conference in San Antonio. 

Founded in 1970, MASBA provides leadership to an ever-growing number of minority board members representing school districts throughout the state whose demographic profile is changing, reflecting a larger number of minority children, most of whom are Hispanic. In AISD, three out of five students are Hispanic (60 percent) and at least 24,000 students speak Spanish at home

“It is an honor to serve my colleagues as the new president - elect of MASBA,” said Guzman. “I’m also committed to being an advocate for minority children in the community in which I live and in the district that I represent.”   

In 2007, Guzman was elected to AISD’s school board to serve as the District 2 trustee, representing East Austin. He was re-elected to a four-year term in 2008. Guzman has resided in District 2 for more than 30 years. He has been actively involved in educational issues at the community level for many years. Prior to being elected to the AISD board, he served on the district's Citizen's Budget Committee and the Affirmative Action Committee. His children graduated from Travis High School, and his grandchildren attend AISD schools. Guzman's professional background is in the area of community affairs, housing and human services. He is a former chair of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and former president of the Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce. He has also served numerous community and civic organizations such as the Travis County Appraisal District Board and the City of Austin Human Relations Commission. He is most proud of having served as a founder of the Youth Advocacy Program.

“The role I played in keeping Eastside Memorial, at the Johnston Campus, open is what I consider to be one of my most significant accomplishments,” said Guzman

For more information, please contact the Department of Public Relations and Multicultural Outreach at (512) 414-2414.