Rick Guzman: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Richard "Rick" Guzman

City: Aurora, IL

Office sought: Trustee, Waubonsee Community College (Dist. 516)

Age: 41

Family: wife, Desiree and two daughters Micah (9) and Josie (7)

Occupation: Executive Director, The Neighbor Project, an Aurora-based nonprofit with the mission to "Activate the potential of Working Families to revitalize their neighborhoods through savings, education & home-ownership.

Education: Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from NIU College of Law and B.A. in Public Policy from North Central College

Civic involvement: Co-founder & Chair of the Board of Emmanuel House a 501(c) (3) organization (2002 - 2017); Board of Directors, member, Joseph Corporation (2009 - 2017); Advisory Board Member/Vice-Chair, Family Focus Aurora (2007 - Present); Secretary/member, Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley (2013 - Present); Board of Directors, member, Hesed House (2013 - 2016); Chairperson, World Relief DuPage/Aurora Advisory Board (April, 2003 - '06); Gubernatorial Designee (2000 - 2003) for: Illinois Human Rights Commission, Illinois Criminal Justice Authority, USDOJ Anti-Terrorism Task Force, Illinois Integrated Justice Information Systems Governing Board and Commission on Discrimination & Hate Crimes; Gubernatorial Committees (2000 -2006): Co-Chair, Subcommittee Faith, Family & Community (Governor's Public Safety & Re-entry Comm.): 2004 - 2005; Governor's Corrections Reform Transition Team: 2002-03; Governor's Criminal Code Re-Write and Reform Commission (staff): 2001 - 2003; Governor's Capital Punishment Commission (staff): 2000 - 2003; Mayoral Designee for: Pathways to Prosperity Catalyst Committee; S.P.A.R.K., Aurora Early Childhood Initiative, Leadership Team; and Aurora Cares Committee; Mayoral Boards/Commissions: Mayor's Blue Ribbon Affordable Housing Task Force: 2011 - 2012 (Lead Facilitator); Aurora Housing Authority Board: 2011 - 2016 (Staff Liaison); Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board: 2011 - 2014 (Staff Liaison); Indian American Advisory Board: 2014 - 2018 (Staff Liaison); Government Operations Committee of the Aurora City Council: 2011 - 2015 (Staff Liaison); Planning & Development Committee of the Aurora City Council: 2015 - 2017 (Staff Liaison); Human Relations Commission: 2012 - 2016 (Staff Liaison).

Previous elected offices held: N/A

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? N/A

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/guzman4aurora (@guzman4aurora)

Issue questions

Describe your vision for the primary role of a community college.

Community Colleges are community-building, community-development institutions that help the residents of its district - and the community as a whole - realize their full potential. Whether it is through the earning of an associate degree; nondegree tracked job training; or building skills through adult basic education, English or arts/humanities courses for lifelong learners; Community Colleges aren't just for the benefit of students, but benefit every resident by playing a vital community-strengthening role. When individuals increase their education and improve their skills, they are able to more fully participate in their local communities and contribute more to the local economies of those communities. Increased education leads to increased opportunity and community colleges should continue to offer the most affordable and accessible opportunities for degree/skill attainment and lifelong learning. Education and skills-training not only creates opportunity but stability for families and the stability of one family creates stability for all of us. Everyone … and so when community colleges help our neighbors access jobs and gain an education, that strengthens our entire community because strong and stable neighbors create strong and stable neighborhoods. At its best a Community College improves the well-being of the entire community it serves by investing in its residents across all income levels to unlock the potential of its students to make their own contributions to making our neighborhoods and communities as safe, as stable and as strong as they can be.

How well is your community college fulfilling that role? What changes, if any, need to be made?

Waubonsee Community College is a strong institution with strong and effective leadership. The college needn't necessarily change what it has done to fulfill its community-strengthening role, but rather expand its efforts to reach deeper into underserved communities. I am running to be a trustee of Waubonsee Community College both because I believe that the college and its leadership have always risen to this type of challenge - as well as because I'm excited to do the hard work of establishing deeper, more significant community partnerships that will reach those harder-to-reach populations. I've spent my entire career building partnership to open up opportunities for underserved populations in ways that appropriately steward taxpayer and donor dollars while creating tangible benefits for entire communities.

Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?

No. However, I come from an "education family" and background. My brother is a public school music teacher and my parents have four graduate degrees between them (my father recently retired from a 40+ year as a college professor).

Is a tax rate increase needed and, if so, how do you justify it?

No. Taxing bodies need to live within their means. Efficiencies and increased reach can be obtained through smart and strategic partnerships with other educational, governmental, private-sector and nonprofit institutions.

Community colleges provide many services to a diverse population. Is there a service your college should be providing that it is not, or reaching a segment of the population that it is not?

Waubonsee Community College is currently providing a fantastic array of educational and skills-training curriculum. However, institutions of higher education - particularly those engaged in job training and skill certifications - need to be constantly adapting to the ever-changing demands of creating a skilled labor force. The ongoing "skills gap" between employers' needs for skilled, trained and certified workers and employee with the skills to fill those jobs - creates an opportunity. Waubonsee Community College has thus far risen to this challenge, but it cannot become complacent in its status as a cutting-edge educator or stagnant in its offerings. Finally, while no other educational institution in the region can claim the same kind of reach across diverse populations in rural, suburban and even urban neighborhoods, there is always room for improvement. There are still opportunities to open up higher educational opportunities to more of the population and strengthen communities through a more educated workforce, but this will take concerted effort to create even deeper partnerships with employers, nonprofit partners, and other governmental and educational partners. I've spent the last 20 years making these types of connections and forging new and innovative partnerships in the greater Aurora, the Fox Valley and Waubonsee Community College district and am excited to continue this important work to increase access to more potential students; create efficiencies for taxpayers and strengthen the entire district as a result.