12 | HR Connection
Get To Know Your TASPA Board RICK RODRIGUEZ TASPA PRESIDENT
Rick Rodriguez is the Chief Operations Officer for Lubbock ISD. A graduate of Eastern New Mexico University, Rick holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish as well as a Masters of Education in Mid-Management from Prairie View A&M University. With over twenty years of experience in education, Rick brings a vast array of knowledge to the table. He has an extensive understanding of the education recruiting process, supervising employee issues, and coordinating the evaluation of employees. His ability to successfully draft and implement staffing plans has led to increased employee efficiency. Furthermore, Rick is quite knowledgeable in federal compliance laws regarding human resources such as educator certification requirements and federal labor laws. Rick resides in Lubbock, Texas, with his wife, Tanna, and has twenty one-year-old twin daughters, Abbigale and Lyndsie who are in their third year of college this year. “The education profession has a potential opportunity to capture a moment of nationwide focus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. While there have been many professions in industry who have had to take the difficult path of furloughing employees, education has found a way to continue to teach and reach students and therefore continue to be compensated. I have seen many positive stories regarding teachers going the extra mile for their studentsfrom going to their homes to sit and the end of the driveway to read to individual students to sending individual notes encouraging students to hang in there to holding virtual proms and senior days for the graduates, and the list goes on and on. So the challenge is two fold. First, how do we harness the positive momentum to keep our teachers from leaving the profession and also how we use this opportunity to recruit new candidates to our profession. The second, how do we continue to garner the support of the general public to provide the support at the legislative for continued education finance reform. While HB 3 has provided some temporary relief- we need to be looking at long term sustainability now so that we do not have the proverbial “rug” yanked out from underneath us. If you are new to HR I have one key word for you- NETWORK! Most of us who have been in HR for 15+ years are eager to extend a helping hand. I too once wandered into the TASPA conference and observed what appeared to be a family reunion of sorts. I saw colleagues who greeted each other like long lost friends. If you choose to networkyou too will be a part of the family. Engage in your local regional TASPA group, attend as many of conferences as you can- the information presented is phenomenal! My goal is to meet at least 5 new TASPA members by the Winter 2020 Conference- won’t you join me and welcome your new colleagues to THE BEST HUMAN RESOURCES ORGANIZATION IN NATION- TASPA!!”
