Current Lee College regent, former mayor of Baytown, and community legend Pete Alfaro is taking a step back from service beginning June 1. He has served as a regent since 2006. His colleagues on the board will appoint a successor to fill his position until his term expires in May 2025.
With a catalog of "firsts" and achievements too numerous to list, Regent Alfaro retires with a legacy of service on his resume. Among his many accomplishments, he was the first Hispanic to be elected mayor of Baytown, a role in which he served 11 years. During his 17-year tenure as a regent and service to Lee College, he has served as chair, vice chair and chair of the building committee.
"Regent Alfaro is the prime example of the servant-leader our communities need and cherish," said Regent Daryl Fontenot, chair of the board of regents. "He is the model we are all striving to follow."
Lee College President Dr. Lynda Villanueva echoed that sentiment and added, "Regent Alfaro has been a substantial source of strength for me since my first day on the job." She added, "his counsel and advice has been extremely valuable, and I am grateful to call him a mentor and friend."
"I have the pleasure of also serving with Regent Alfaro on the Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital Board of Trustees and his leadership and clarity of purpose has been treasured and will be greatly missed, not only by me, but all our colleagues across the community," said Gilbert Santana, immediate past chair of the board of regents.
Named "Citizen of the Year" in 2004 by the Baytown Sun, Alfaro plans to take a step back from public life and focus on his family. Following a long and successful career at ExxonMobil and a lifetime of service to his fellow citizens in the region, he has earned it.