BOARD ROLE
Katherine B. Persson was appointed to fill the vacant EMCID Director Position 4 in 2013 and has since been elected to three additional terms, in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Katherine and her husband, Andrew, are long-time residents of Splendora, having moved there in 1978; their three children graduated from Splendora ISD and attended Lone Star College-Kingwood.

“My parents often said, ‘Talk is cheap. Put your time and money where your mouth is.’ If you want things to get better, you have to get involved,” said Katherine. “The decisions EMCID directors make affect the quality of life for us as residents. We want nice places to eat, shop and play. We want our children to have both educational and employment opportunities to live independently and contribute to their communities.”

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Katherine’s career has been in education. She was the founding biology faculty member when Lone Star College-Kingwood opened in 1984, where she created the first biotechnology associate degree in the state. After eight years in teaching, she moved into administration — serving as vice president before leaving in 2006 to become president of the Portland Community College Rock Creek Campus. She later returned to Lone Star College-Kingwood as president, a role she held until retiring at the end of 2020 as the college’s longest-serving president. During her tenure, she led the institution through recovery after Hurricane Harvey devastated 80 percent of the campus, and later guided a smooth transition into the college system’s COVID-19 response — informed directly by lessons learned during Harvey recovery. She wrote Overcoming Disaster: What Colleges Learned from Catastrophe to Recovery, with all proceeds benefiting the LSC Foundation.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATION / RECOGNITION
Splendora ISD Trustee, 16 years (8 as Chair)
Director/Chair, Greater East Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Board
Director/Chair, Lake Houston Chamber
Splendora ISD Land and Facilities Committee, since 2019
Co-Chair, 2022 Splendora ISD Bond Political Action Committee
Certified Montgomery County Master Gardener

FAMILY
Katherine is married to Andrew; they have three children. Besides spending time with family, Katherine is an avid gardener and a native plant and antique rose enthusiast.