DCCCD Trustee From Irving, Kitty Boyle, Announces Retirement

photo of Jerry Prater, Kitty Boyle, Kathryn Tucker

l-r: DCCCD Board of Trustees Chair Jerry Prater, retiring Trustee Kitty Boyle and Executive Director of Board Relations Kathryn Tucker

For immediate release — Oct. 11, 2011

(DALLAS) — After 15 years of continuous service and leadership for the Dallas County Community College District, DCCCD Trustee Kitty Boyle announced her retirement during the board of trustees' regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 5. Her term expires in 2014.

“After careful consideration, I am electing to retire from the DCCCD board of trustees at the conclusion of the 2011 Association of Community College Trustees Congress in Dallas (Oct. 12-15), when my obligations as a member of the ACCT Trust Fund Board have been completed,” explained Boyle. “It has been a privilege to serve the citizens of Dallas County as a member of the governing board of our Dallas district. In deep appreciation of those who serve our district with the success of our students at heart, you have my best wishes for continued success.”

The DCCCD board of trustees will announce the procedure for filling the vacancy at a later date.

Boyle's distinguished service to the state's largest undergraduate institution and her unwavering commitment to the success of its students began in May 1996. Two years ago, her vision, leadership, legislative efforts and dedication to students — from diversity issues to her steadfast insistence that DCCCD always keep its tuition affordable — prompted ACCT to honor her with the 2009 ACCT M. Dale Ensign Trustee Leadership Award.

ACCT is a nonprofit educational organization of governing boards which represents more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern more than 1,200 community, technical and junior colleges in the United States, serving 11 million students across the country. Each year, ACCT recognizes one exemplary trustee, chief executive, faculty member, professional board staff member and board/CEO team for outstanding service and leadership at their institutions.

Retiring DCCCD Trustee Kitty Boyle received praise for her leadership and commitment to students.

Jerry Prater, chair of the DCCCD board of trustees, said: “Trustee Boyle is a strong and forthright leader. She has taught me the importance of being a trustee for this college district. I thank her for standing up on behalf of all community colleges and for our students.”

Dr. Wright Lassiter Jr., DCCCD's chancellor, said, “We have never had a trustee who was more persistent about serving students than Trustee Kitty Boyle. We are truly in her debt. She has been a vanguard in championing diversity in our district and at the national level.”

Boyle, who is serving her third six-year term on the DCCCD board of trustees for District 5 voters in the Irving/Las Colinas area, was chair of the board from 2000 to 2004. Among her many other accomplishments, Trustee Boyle:

Supported DCCCD trustees’ efforts to promote diversity across the district, including incorporating their goals for equity into DCCCD’s policies (a move that brought distinction to those efforts when the board received ACCT’s national 2008 Charles Kennedy Equity Award);
Led the effort to establish the Texas Legislative Community College Caucus;
Developed and helped create another advocacy organization, the Community College Association of Texas Trustees, which seeks to unite and mobilize trustees to support important legislation for community colleges;
Worked, through CCATT, with the Texas Association of Community Colleges to ensure that both organizations speak with one voice;
Supported DCCCD’s efforts to include student representatives at ACCT’s National Legislative Summit each year (a move other states have since copied);
Served as ACCT chair in 2006-2007, and helped create the National Community College Caucus during that time;
Served on many ACCT committees and as regional chair from 2001 to 2007;
Encouraged DCCCD administrators and trustees to become more involved with ACCT at the national level.

With Boyle’s assistance, the Texas Legislative Community College Caucus and the Community College Association of Texas Trustees played key roles during the last two legislative sessions in restoring employee health insurance funds for the state’s 50 community colleges/systems.

Boyle is involved in numerous civic and community organizations in Irving. She is an administrator for the law firm of Boyle & Lowry, LLP, and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She has received the Irving Independent School District's Golden Apple Award; the Irving "YWCA Where the 'W' Makes the Difference" Women in Government Award; the American Cancer Society (Irving Chapter) Community Service Award; and the Soroptomist International Distinguished Women Award.

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Press contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819; ahatch@dcccd.edu
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