UHV welcomes new members to advisory board
The University of Houston-Victoria has added four new members to its President’s Regional Advisory Board, including a physical therapist, the president of a civil engineering company, an academic and entrepreneur, and a school district superintendent.
Joining the advisory board are Eveline Bethune, a lawyer and entrepreneur who owns Texian Books; Ben Galvan, president of CivilCorp.; Tina Herrington; superintendent of Wharton Independent School District; and Kathy Manning, a licensed physical therapist for Gulf Coast Rehabilitation and Excel Sports Therapy and co-owner of Calhoun Home Health. The new members are serving three-year terms, and their appointments were approved by the board during its Sept. 3 meeting.
“Each of these community leaders bring expertise and knowledge to the President’s Regional Advisory Board that are relevant to our community and our university,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “The board plays a vital role in helping UHV stay connected to its community, and I am looking forward to hearing from these and the other leaders who make up this group of university supporters.”
PRAB is UHV’s external advisory board. Its mission is to strengthen and advance UHV and its academic programs, provide counsel on strategic directions and encourage external giving to the university. Board members also play an important role as UHV ambassadors to their communities and the region. There are 23 voting members on the 2019-2020 advisory board.
Bethune came to the Crossroads region by way of Los Angeles. The native of Omaha, Neb., married a native Texan and moved to Beeville with him to live closer to his family. While she works on her PhD dissertation, Bethune also is involved in businesses such as the clothing retailer Bethune & Son and Texian Books in Victoria. As a member of PRAB, she wants to encourage more awareness of UHV’s resources to people in Bee County.
“UHV and Victoria are a good fit for Bee County students,” Bethune said. “The university has so many resources that can benefit our students and our community as a whole. I hope we will be able to develop a pipeline to bring awareness of those resources and make them more visible to Bee County.”
Galvan is a native of Victoria. As a UHV graduate, he said he is proud to see the positive impact and community involvement the university has provided over the past 40 years. He worked for the Texas Department of Transportation for 14 years as a civil engineer and then began consulting for a Victoria branch office of a Houston firm for another eight years. In 2008, he bought that office and converted it into CivilCorp. The company now has offices in Houston, Fulshear, Round Rock and Corpus Christi. Now, as UHV is constructing its first building dedicated to the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Galvan is excited to have the opportunity to be part of the university’s growth.
“I’m so excited to hear about all the ways UHV is investing in our community through their new buildings and science programs,” Galvan said. “I am ready and willing to help in any way that I can to facilitate and focus on adding additional STEM programs. Our community will benefit from a strong STEM program and students will soon be able to find even more programs at UHV.”
Herrington is entering her fifth year as superintendent of Wharton ISD, and she has a long history with UHV. She first came to the university as a student in 1988 and earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1990. She then continued to earn two master’s degrees from the university in 1993 and 2001 in curriculum and instruction, and in administration and supervision with a principal certification. From Aug. 1998 to May 2003, she also worked at UHV as a visiting instructor of reading education, and afterward continued as an adjunct faculty member until 2015. Now, after spending four years away from UHV, she has seen the university’s vision for the future change, and she wants to come alongside and help promote that development.
“UHV has provided me with the tools to be successful, so I never turn down an opportunity to give back to the university,” Herrington said. “The university produces a lot of quality educators, and there is a shortage of teachers in our area. I want to partner with the university to encourage more people to consider a career in teaching. It is an honor to be invited to serve on this board and work with UHV again.”
Manning was raised in Yoakum and has lived in Victoria since 1983. For most of her 36-year-long career as a physical therapist, she has worked with athletes and orthopedic injuries. She also has volunteered as a physical trainer for local high school athletics programs. Manning has been keeping up with changes and growth at UHV, including the changes to and addition of health care-related programs. As a member of the advisory board, she hopes to find ways to help the university continue that growth.
“UHV is exactly what students in our area need,” Manning said. “The university has done so many positive things for our community and gives our students a nearby, quality education for an affordable price. Joining the board will give me an opportunity to promote the university and help our community even more.”
To learn more about the board, contact Kathy Walton, executive administrative assistant to the president, at 361-570-4332 or waltonk@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
