Hilda Zacarías announced her resignation from the Allan Hancock College Board of Trustees at the board’s meeting Aug. 18, effective immediately.
After 14 years of service on the board, Zacarías is moving outside the area she represented as a trustee.
“I have often said that my tenure as a trustee of Allan Hancock College has been my favorite public service,” Zacarias said.
“This is not the same college I first came to in 1986, and it is not the same college I joined as a trustee in 2012,” she said.
“I have witnessed both individual and institutional transformation, and I am proud to have supported policies that strengthened our inclusive and enriching community of learning,” she said.
“Hilda has been Hancock’s greatest cheerleader for many years,” said Kevin G. Walthers, Hancock superintendent/president. “Her leadership on the board helped pave the way for many college successes, including increasingly diverse classes of graduates, expanded programs for veterans and formerly incarcerated students, and a strong financial foundation that allows Hancock to continue changing the odds for generations to come.”
Zacarías was first elected to serve a four-year term for the Hancock Board of Trustees in November 2012 to represent Area 1, which includes northern Santa Maria.
She was recognized as one of Hancock’s 75 Distinguished Alumni during the 75th anniversary of the college and received the Distinguished Service Award from Cal Poly State University.
Her history of public service extends beyond Hancock. In 1993, Zacarias became the youngest person appointed and later elected to the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees, where she served five years.
She was elected to the Santa Maria City Council in 2006 and was the Democratic nominee for the State Assembly in 2010.
Zacarías completed her general education at Hancock, graduated with an accounting degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and received a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2006.
The college will soon announce a process to fill the vacant seat.