Mary Sherwood, Ph.D., was sworn in as the new regent representing District 4 on the Del Mar College Board of Regents June 12. She replaces Guy Watts, who resigned in April after the board voted to begin a fifth investigation into his behavior as a regent. Watts said he will run again for the board, but this time as an at-large member.
Three candidates for the slot were interviewed by the board the morning of the appointment and swearing-in. Eight people had applied for the vacated term, which expires in 2020.
Sherwood’s background includes 27 years in the Texas A&M University system with 12 years as chief of staff to the president of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Now retired, she also worked for the system administrative office in San Marcus and TAMU in College Station and Kingsville. She has a doctorate in higher education administration.
As a first-generation college graduate, Sherwood worked part time while attending school. At one point, she had to quit school to work full time before finishing her undergraduate degree.
“I did everything from rolling barrels to stacking pallets in a grease plant to waiting tables,” Sherwood told regents during the interview. “So I know from my own experience how hard it is for many Del Mar students who have to work and how dedicated they have to be to succeed.”
Also interviewed were Cmdr. Armando Solis, a former Flour Bluff Navy Junior ROTC instructor, and Raymond Rose, president of Rose & Smith Associates and chairman of the Public Policy Committee at the Texas Distance Learning Association.