Don Nicholson
Candidate for Amarillo College Board of Regents
Don Nicholson/Photo by Campaign
Question: What is your age?
Answer: 71
Q: What is your educational background?
A: 1-12th grade, White Deer, Texas
I earned a BS and MEd. In Agricultural Education at Texas A&M, and lifetime teaching certificates in Biology, and Vocational Agriculture
Multiple courses as student and instructor Amarillo College
Q: What is your occupation?
A: Program Specialist for Preparedness & Response, Department of State Health Services
Q: If you are a business owner, please list the business or businesses that you own.
A: N/A
Q: Please list any civic boards or commissions (non-profit, government, union, political, etc.) on which you have served as a board member or equivalent.
A: I spent 10 years on the AC Board of Regents, 5 as chairman. I represented AC at The Texas Association of Community Colleges, Higher Education Coordinating Board, and 2 years as a vice president of the Community College Association of Texas Trustees
Board Member of the High Plains Food Bank (32 years), Unite Way leadership (25 years), Found board of the Panhandle Breast Health Coalition, and Senior Ambassadors Coalition.
Current Chair of the F. Marie Hall School of Rural and Community Health advisory board(a part of the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center)
I'm Liaison on Public Health with County Judges in 41 counties of the panhandle
Q: If your campaign has any online campaign resources where voters can learn more about you, such as social media accounts or a website, please list them below.
A: Facebook: Don L Nicholson
Q: Why did you decide to run for this office in 2021?
A: To serve the citizens of the Amarillo College territory, providing outstanding, caring and accepted education opportunities
Q: If elected, what will be your top three priorities in office?
A: Maintain the positive caring attitude to enable our students to succeed
Respond to the needs of the employer community in providing training in both specific job skills, and those soft skills that promote a good employee/employer relation
Being responsible to the communities in providing opportunities to expand and maintain their skill sets in either employment based programs, or those lifestyle personal interest in arts and hobby areas
Q: In what cases would you support efforts to raise property taxes? Please explain.
A: I believe the rate is currently justified to maintain the level of education, as the tax base expands due to expanded population and business, the rate should remain neutral.
Q: What is an issue you believe has gone overlooked in your race and how will you address it if elected?
A: Several folks have spoken to me about the expansion of life skill/style programs that might address finances, navigation of the insurance and medical systems, and hobbies exploration, ie; photography, dance, sewing, computer for consumers, and others
Q: Why are you the best candidate for voters to support for this position?
A: Much of my career, I was involved in community needs assessments, and bringing folks together to address issues that came out of those assessments. I have worked with budgets, personnel matters, addressing customer concerns, and networking with folks from all social and economic levels. I believe those combined with my background in Oil and Gas, Agriculture and Education allow me a perspective to have input and make decisions on areas that provide the most good to the most people. I'm always open to frank discussion and I listen to people.