The president of the Citrus Community College District Board of Trustees is running for re-election on Nov. 3.
Joanne Montgomery from the Monrovia district is running to retain her seat against former Area 1 trustee Gary L. Woods, J.D.
Montgomery was appointed to CCCD board in 1998 to fill the vacancy left by the death of her husband, Donald Montgomery.
She was elected into position in 1999 and has been an active member on the board and has been re-elected three times.
She has been a resident of Monrovia for over 50 years.
Montgomery is a retired teacher and elementary school principle of 32 years.
She taught in the gifted education program and worked with students who needed special guidance.
While she taught a broad age group of students she dedicated 14 years to educating 4th and 5th graders.
In addition to young children, Montgomery was a training teacher for many universities including, Azusa Pacific University, UCLA, USC, University of La Verne, and Cal State Los Angeles.
In 1982 Montgomery earned her Masters of Arts degree in education from Azusa Pacific University.
Montgomery said she loved every minute of her teaching career and still remains in contact with many former students.
Montgomery said that she wants Citrus to continue delivering high quality instruction and empowering students to compete globally and contribute to the growth of our society.
“We are in the process of developing our new five-year Strategic Plan,” Montgomery said.
“These high quality educational programs will lead to attainment of degrees, certificates, employment, and transfer.”
Only residents of Area 5 who vote will determine who wins the board of trustee seat, which is limited to parts of Monrovia, Bradbury, and Duarte.
Cameron Wisdom, Associated Students of Citrus College president and Area 5 resident, said Montgomery is focused on Citrus and that her service is her main priority.
Wisdom said that any concerned student that wants to succeed at Citrus should want to make sure that they are voting for the candidate that represents the best interest of the college.
Wisdom advises students not to vote blindly, to follow up on candidates and hold them accountable for their promises and decisions.
Pat Cordova-Goff, student trustee and resident of Azusa, stressed the importance of voting.
“We elect individuals to represent and serve us, so it’s extremely important to participate in choosing that person,” Cordova-Goff said.
Montgomery said she has learned the importance of being completely involved with Citrus College.
She stressed that it is not enough to simply attend meetings, but that trustees must be aware of individual needs and be good listeners.
“I encourage all students to be aware of the issues within their own community,” Montgomery said. “Don’t ever feel that your voice is not heard.”
Many years of community service has made Montgomery aware of the community’s needs.
“I have spent countless hours providing support for families through these organizations,” Montgomery said. “I recently worked with the League of Women Voters on a project to study the dropout issues in our local school districts.”
Montgomery has been active in the Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills, Monrovia Guild of Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Foothill Unity Center Auxiliary, and the Children’s Home Security.
Montgomery said the reason she wants to continue, as a member of the CCCD board is to continue her work improving the community by providing quality education.
“I love Citrus College and take great pride when I hear our student success stories.” Montgomery said.
