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William (Bill) Velasco High Resolution JPG Faye Moses Wilkins High Resolution JPG Scott Carlson High Resolution JPG Loretta Ellerbe High Resolution JPG

October 13, 2010

Velasco re-elected DART Board Chair

Dallas businessman William (Bill) Velasco has been re-elected chairman of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors. Velasco was first chosen by fellow board members in 2009. He has served on the board since 2001.

He is the owner of Velasco Tax and Insurance of Dallas and most recently served the board as vice chair of the Administration, Audit, and Revenue committees and many others. Active in the community, he is past president of La Calle Diez Community Corp., a founding member of the Winnetka Heights Historical District and the Oak Cliff Development Corp. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of Dallas CAN! Academy and is currently on the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He is a graduate of Texas A & M University in College Station.

Board members also elected Faye Moses Wilkins vice chair. She represents Cockrell Hill, Dallas, Glenn Heights and Plano. Dallas member Scott Carlson was elected secretary and Plano member Loretta Ellerbe assistant secretary. Officers serve one-year terms.

Wilkins was named to the board in 1999. She currently serves as chair of the Rail Program Committee and has been a member of the Audit, Planning, Administration, and Rail Corridor Ad Hoc Negotiation committees. She is president of Wilkins Group, Inc., a telecommunications and systems integration firm based in Richardson's Telecom Corridor.

Carlson was appointed to the board in 2003. He is an attorney in private practice and currently serves as chair of the Planning committee of the board. He has served as chair of a number of other committees during his DART tenure. He holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Texas Tech University and a law degree from Southern Methodist University.

Ellerbe was appointed in 2008 by the Plano City Council. A former member of the Plano City Council, she is chair of the Operations committee of the board and has served as a member of the Administrative, Ethics, and Revenue committees.

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