Tercero backers got jobs at TSC
The personnel file of Texas Southmost College president Lily Tercero shows that two educators hired for TSC positions in November each wrote recommendations for Tercero when she applied for president this summer.
The TSC Board of Trustees hired Roberto Aguero as TSC vice president of instruction and student services, while Leonardo de la Garza was appointed to the TSC transition team in November. Both men authored recommendations for Tercero, according to the background check document dated June 29.
The Herald made an open records request for the background check in Tercero’s personnel file on Oct. 2. TSC legal counsel chose to pursue an opinion from the state Attorney General office, delaying the release of the information. TSC legal counsel claimed that the information was excepted from disclosure, according to correspondence from the AG office dated Dec. 14.
The response to TSC legal counsel read: "Upon review, we find you have failed to demonstrate how any portion of the submitted information is highly intimate or embarrassing and not of legitimate public concern."
The records were released Dec. 23.
The four page background check document contains only the redacted personal information of Tercero, such as a home address and phone number, and five references — all of which are very favorable on behalf of Tercero.
TSC Board of Trustees Chairman Francisco "Kiko" Rendon and Trustee Juan "Trey" Mendez responded to an email sent to all seven trustees requesting comment on the hires last week
"These individuals are highly qualified and were the individuals recommended by our President," Mendez said. "I trust our administration and see no reason to believe that anyone has been hired because of the perception that they were owed a favor."
Rendon also said the two men are "overqualified" for a community college the size of TSC. He said de la Garza was recommended by the University of Texas System and Aguero is leaving the Alamo Community College District. Tercero was chief budget officer at the ACCD in San Antonio before she became TSC president.
"Dr. Aguero is taking a step down from his position as VP of Academic Success. ... Because he believes in our mission and would like to be part of this important moment in TSC’s history," Rendon wrote.
Mendez said all the TSC board members "had access" to the recommendations written for Tercero when asked if all the trustees saw them.
In his recommendation, Aguero wrote that he worked with Tercero a "number of years at Tarrant County (College District) and helped recruit her for Alamo (Community College District)."
"She can be tough and direct – she can take people head on, but usually she takes a mild approach to dealing with issues," Aguero wrote. "She has vision and creativity but the bottom line is she sees that thing (sic) get done and done correctly. Dr. Tercero is a solid decision maker and is very good at master planning."
De la Garza said Tercero is "one of the best," noting she was actively involved in board decisions as well as her church and community.
"She worked with me at Sante (sic) Fe Community College and at Tarrant County (College District)," the recommendation read. "Lily is one of the brightest and most hard working individuals I know. She is a star, she just shines, and she will be an outstanding president at Texas Southmost College."
The TSC Board of Trustees voted to hire Aguero and de la Garza at its Nov. 17 meeting. Aguero served as the vice chancellor for academic success for Alamo Colleges and de la Garza is chancellor emeritus of the Tarrant County College District.
On Nov. 18, Tercero said the contracts for Aguero and de la Garza were still being finalized and that Aguero’s start date is Jan. 1.
Tahita Fulkerson and John Roueche authored the three other recommendations made on Tercero’s behalf. Fulkerson is president of the Trinity River Campus in the Tarrant County College District and Roueche is a professor of the Community College Leadership Program at UT Austin.
It was announced in November that Tercero was selected to receive the 2012 distinguished graduate award from the UT Austin program and will lecture there this April. She was also appointed to a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board education development advisory committee.
Another recommendation written for Tercero came from a senior counsel at Educational Testing Services (ETS), which states it is "a private nonprofit organization devoted to educational measurement and research, primarily through testing." Tercero was part of the advisory counsel to the organization, the recommendation said.
"Her background and experience in so many different areas provides her with an expertise that is unique and difficult to come by," Jon Alexiou of ETS wrote. "She is authentic — no pretensions — what you see is what you get with her. ... She is very thorough and does not let issues fall through the cracks."
Tercero did not respond to a request for comment emailed last week. A voicemail requesting comment left at the TSC office went unanswered. A recording said the TSC taxing-district office is closed until Jan 3.
