Guadalupe Gonzalez is the new District 2 representative to the county Board of Education. She was appointed Wednesday night after she and nine other candidates interviewed to replace former board member Lyn Neylon.
The seat became vacant when Neylon moved outside the district. She held the position that covers southern San Diego to the U.S.-Mexico border for more than two years.
Gonzalez previously worked at Southwestern College for 14 years in Student Services, working in programs assisting students. She also sat on several committees in Academic Affairs, Academic Senate, Academic Review and Professional Development.
Gonzalez said she was overwhelmed with the appointment, especially since she thought about removing herself from consideration.
“Once I saw the list (of applicants) and saw the quality names that had applied, I really thought about withdrawing my application,” she said. “It was a good thing that I didn’t.”
Gonzalez said one of the things she will push for is holding county board meetings on each district, making the board more accessible and visible to the public.
The term for the appointed position expires in January 2017.
Candidates included South Bay political heavyweights former Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox and former Chula Vista Councilman Jerry Rindone.
Other applicants included Daniel Munoz, Raquel Marquez Maden, Brenda Davis, Jerome Torres, Adrian Arancibia, Alejandro Galicia and Carmen O. Sandoval. District 2 covers the southwestern portion of the county.
