Board of Trustees

Marie Flickinger, Chair

Chairman Marie Flickinger was the first woman elected to the board and has been a member since 1995. She currently serves as chairman of the Education and Technology Committee.

Flickinger has been a major force in the development of the South Belt community in southeast Harris County. She is longtime owner and publisher of the South Belt-Ellington Leader newspaper, as well as South Belt Graphics and Printing. She was the chief organizer and founding president of the South Belt-Ellington Chamber of Commerce.

Flickinger has served on two Mayoral Transition Committees for the City of Houston and is the Environmental Protection Agency community representative for the Brio Superfund Site, located in the South Belt area. She has also served on the Superintendent Advisory Board and the Superintendent Search Committee for the Pasadena ISD, and is a recipient of the Rotary “Paul Harris” Award.

The fine arts building on South Campus is named in her honor.

Dan Mims, Vice Chair

Dan Mims joined the board in 2002, replacing 31-year board member Dr. John Nichols. He is senior vice president of Mims Meat Company, a broad-line food service distributor and a USDA-inspected meat processing company. He is also active with UniPro Foodservice, a 300-member food service purchasing cooperative headquartered in Atlanta.

Mims served as president of the North Shore Rotary Club for the 2000-2001 Rotary year and served on the Rotary District 5890 Governor Nominating Committee. He is also a past Rotarian of the Year.

Ben Meador, Secretary

Ben Meador joined the board after the passing of Dr. Parker Williams in August 2004. The Pasadena native and businessman brings a long list of accomplishments and a wealth of experience to the job. He founded Meador Staffing Services in 1968 and currently serves as president and CEO.

Meador was a founding member of the San Jacinto College Foundation and was vice chairman of the Board of Directors in 2002. He was a member of the Chancellor Search Committee in 1995-96 and chaired the same committee in 2003. He also participated in a Resume Fraud Seminar, which was nationally publicized and sponsored by the College. He is a chair of the board's Policy Committee, a member of both the Continuing Education Advisory and Business Education Advisory committees and has made numerous presentations to San Jac business classes.

Meador has been a Pasadena Rotarian since 1974 and is a member of the Precinct 8 Harris County advisory board, appointed by Constable Bill Bailey.

Larry Wilson, Assistant Secretary

Larry Wilson has worked in the Pasadena, East Harris County area for many years. He is an attorney and currently a Deer Park Municipal Judge. He has also served as a Pasadena City Councilman for 10 years and as an East Harris County Justice of the Peace for eight. In the 1970s he was an adjunct professor at San Jacinto College, teaching business law and economics. He is also a Rotary Club member and is active with a number of service and church groups.

Wilson’s wife Carol is a corporate manager for PEO Texas. Their son Ty practices law in Atlanta. Their daughter Cari is a recent law school grad and plans to practice with her father.

Dr. Ruede Wheeler, Member

Dr. Ruede Wheeler has served on the board since 1986. He came to us following nine years of service on the La Porte ISD Board of Trustees.

Dr. Wheeler has practiced dentistry in La Porte for more than 40 years and is a member of the American Dental Association, the Texas Dental Association and the Houston District Dental Society. He is a member and past president of the La Porte Rotary Club and serves on the advisory committee for La Porte’s city golf course.

The technical building on North Campus is named in his honor.

C. Wayne Slovacek, Member

Deer Park resident and businessman C. Wayne Slovacek joined the board in 1972 and is a former chairman.

In 1988 he retired from Union Equity after 44 years, where he last served as vice president of port operations. Since then he has worked tirelessly on behalf of San Jac. He is currently president of the Texas Association of Community College Trustees and Administrators. He is a founding member of the San Jacinto College Foundation Board of Directors and serves as chairman of its annual golf tournament, the foundation’s major fundraising activity. He also chairs the Building Committee.

Slovacek has served as president of several area organizations including the Deer Park Chamber of Commerce, which has instituted the Wayne Slovacek Humanitarian Award in his honor. He is a past president of the Deer Park Rotary Club and has held leadership positions with the Port Safety and Advisory Council of Houston, the Southeast Harris County Economic Development Council and the Rehabilitation Foundation of Southeast Harris County.

The student center on North Campus is named in his honor.

John Moon Jr., Member

John Moon Jr. was elected to the San Jacinto College Board of Trustees Position 5 on May 9, 2009. Moon is no stranger to the College he attended San Jac upon graduation from Sam Rayburn High School. Moon went on to receive a Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Science from the University of Houston – Clear Lake.

Moon, an executive vice president at Crosby State Bank, is a life-long resident of the area, and has been working in banking or investments since he was 15. He has been an adjunct professor at San Jacinto College and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Moon and his wife, Lori, have two sons, John and Donovan.

W.L. “Levi” Smallwood, Trustee Emeritus

W.L. “Levi” Smallwood has served on the board since 1977, but his commitment goes back even further. He was a member of the original steering committee for San Jacinto College, helping to gain support for its formation in 1960. After serving the board for 30 years, Smallwood retired and was named emeritus.

A former board chairman, Smallwood currently chairs the Building Committee. He is a founding member of the San Jacinto College Foundation Board of Directors. He also served on the Pasadena ISD Board of Trustees for 13 years.

Smallwood is the 1995 Trustee of the Year for the Western Region of the Association of Community College Trustees and has served as Texas state chairman for the organization. His civic activities include the Pasadena Rotary Club, the American Heart Association, the Boy Scouts of America and the Pasadena Rodeo Association.

Smallwood spent 44 years in the engineering department at ARCO. He also served 27 years with the volunteer Pasadena Fire Department, including as chief.

The health and physical education building on the South Campus is named in his honor.

J.D. Bruce, Trustee Emeritus

Pasadena businessman J.D. Bruce has been a board member for nearly 30 years and has held numerous leadership positions, including chairman and vice-chairman. He came to us in 1981 bringing 15 years of experience on the Pasadena ISD Board of Trustees, where he served in all capacities including chairman.

He owned and operated J.D. Bruce Insurance in Pasadena until he retired. His work in the insurance industry has earned him much recognition, including membership in the Millionaire Club since 1978. Bruce has also been an active member of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce since 1965, chairing committees on government affairs and state government.

The J.D. student center on South Campus is named in his honor.