Sweetwater Board of Trustees selects new president and vice president
At their recent meeting, the Sweetwater Board of Trustees selected Pearl Quiñones as President and Jim Cartmill as Vice President. Continuing their roles, Superintendent Dr. Edward Brand will serve as Secretary and Deanne Vicedo will serve as the Clerk of the board.
Ms. Quiñones is serving her third term on the school board. She is a fellow of the HOPE Leadership Institute and past vice president of the California Latino School Board Members Association.
Ms. Quiñones has served on the executive board of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials and as a delegate to the California School Boards Association. She is a graduate of San Diego State University where she earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in public administration.
As a retired educator, Ms. Quiñones has a passion for helping at-risk students. She has been an advocate for establishing the district's health and wellness policy. A resident of National City, she worked as a full-time educator while raising her son, Eric, and earning her college degrees.
Mr. Jim Cartmill has served on the Sweetwater Board of Trustees since 1990. He is a nationally-recognized speaker on balanced living and generational trends. He is the CEO of Let's Talk Health, a successful nutritional supplement company that was named Small Business Owner of the Year by the California Small Business Association in 2008.
Mr. Cartmill has been published in a book entitled "Conversations on Success" with Stephen Covey, Dr. Denis Waitley and Marjorie Blanchard. He and his wife are Sweetwater District graduates and have a daughter, Blythe Marie, who attends EastLake Middle, and a son, Jason who is a veteran of the Iraq war.