Weekly Luncheon & Program: AISD President Mark Williams

AISD President
Mr. Mark Williams

The Austin Independent School District is being faced with hard choices due to budget restrictions caused by the recession, a complex and often archaic systemic tax structure, and a conservative legislature determined to continue to make tax cuts a main priority. With only approximately 40% of the entire Texas budget available for discretionary budget revision, and 40% of that smaller total designated for education, the cuts could potentially be quite deep. Texas could lose up to 100,000 teachers over this next biennial budget unless other solutions are found.

Tough choices are on the table and our speaker will give us the lay of the land in our talk this week. Come listen to part 2 of the Texas Legislature and our State Budget discussion (following last week's presentation by State Representative Donna Howard) on the good, the bad, and the ugly in Texas Schools and Texas Budgets.

Our Speaker, Mr. Mark Williams:

In May 2004, Mark Williams was first elected to the Austin ISD Board of Trustees, and in May 2008 was elected to a second four-year term on the Board. In May 2006 Mark was elected by his fellow trustees as Board President. He was reelected to the position as Board President in May 2008 and again in June 2010.

Mr. Williams is married to Linda McCalla Williams and they have three children, one who has graduated and is now attending college, and two still remaining in AISD. He and his wife have been active volunteers in their children's schools, including serving in various capacities in both the PTA and CAC organizations at their children's elementary and middle schools.

In addition, Mark is currently a member of the board of directors and has served in various officer and/or committee positions for the Center for Child Protection. Mark is also on the board of United Ways of Texas, and a Community Board Member for the United Way Capital Area.

Mark also serves on the advisory board and finance committee for Any Baby Can, as well as on the Leadership Team for the University of Texas Recreational Sports Department and is a member of the Advisory Council for the University of Texas Department of Diversity and Community Engagement. He is a former board member of the Ex-Students Association of the University of Texas (Texas Exes), West Austin Youth Association and Prevent Child Abuse Texas.

Mark is the AISD representative and on the Board of Envision Central Texas (ECT). Mark also serves as an AISD representative and is a past Chair of the Community Action Network's Resource Council. He was member of the 2003-04 Leadership Austin class.

Mark is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting. He worked for Arthur Andersen in the areas of audit, regulatory and operational consulting, and for Dell Inc.