The Houston Independent School District Board of Education voted Thursday to name Trustee Manuel Rodriguez as its new president.

Rodriguez has served on the HISD Board of Education since 2003.

Trustees also voted to elect new board officers: Wanda Adams, First Vice President; Diana Dávila, Second Vice President; Jolanda Jones, Secretary; and Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Assistant Secretary.

Rodriguez thanked outgoing Board President Skillern-Jones for her leadership as he took the gavel.

Rodriguez previously served as board president in 2007. He also served as assistant secretary in his first year as a trustee, second vice president in 2005 and 2013, and first vice president in 2006.

A graduate of HISD’s Stephen F. Austin High School, Rodriguez earned an associate of arts degree in social sciences from Solana Community College and studied organizational behavior management and marketing at University of Houston. He is the founder and president of the MARVAA Corporation, which provides assistance in education, housing, and community involvement.

Fellow trustees lauded Skillern-Jones for her service as board president and her dedication to the Houston Independent School District and its students.

“You really had six children, not five. HISD was her sixth child,” Trustee Wanda Adams said, offering gratitude to her colleague. “Even though you’re not sitting in the president’s seat, your leadership will continue on this board.”

Rodriguez and Skillern-Jones, both of whom won re-election in December, were formally sworn in during a special ceremony held Thursday prior to the regular January meeting. Also sworn in during that ceremony were newly elected trustees Diana Dávila and Jolanda Jones.