HOUSTON, Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Houston Business-Education Coalition (HBEC) is pleased to announce that it has endorsed Adriana Tamez in the District III Houston Community College Election.

HBEC Chair Jonathan Day announced the endorsement, and said:   "Adriana is an outstanding educator and community leader who is committed to improving HCC and the educational opportunities it provides Houstonians.  There is nothing more important to our business community than effective workforce development.  Adriana understands how critical career training is and we are convinced she will be an excellent HCC board member."

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

Dr. Tamez earned a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies in 1992 and a master's degree in educational administration and supervision in 1999, both at the University of Houston. She earned her doctorate in Educational Administration in 2011, while a Fellow in the nationally acclaimed Cooperative Superintendency Program at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Tamez has had a distinguished career in public education, serving as a teacher and principal in HISD schools and ultimately as Regional Superintendent of HISD's Central Region. In this role, she supervised 54 schools - 97 percent of which earned the state's highest accountability  rating  of  "Recognized"  or  "Exemplary."  Her  vision  and  direction  were responsible for high-performing instructional programs and enriching educational experiences for more than 35,000 students.

She has been deeply involved in the Houston community, including being one of the of founding members of Tejano Center for Community Concerns, a non-profit organization that provides a comprehensive array of social, educational, economic and housing services.  She has been recognized for her service with the following awards:   the Willie Velasquez Excellence Achievement Award, the Tejano Center for Community Concerns 1999 President's Award, the East Region's 2003-2004 Outstanding Principal of the Year Award, and the Association of Hispanic School Administrators 2003-2004 Outstanding Principal of the Year Award.  She is a past member of the Association of Hispanic School Administrators and served on the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo's Go Tejano Education Committee from 1994 to 1997.  She also serves as a Board Member of the Houston Clean City Commission and the Houston Center for Literacy, having recently been reappointed to both Boards by the Houston City Council.

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, HBEC713.220.4175(Office)/713.305.4202 (Mobile)

SOURCE Houston Business-Education Coalition