The Sacramento County Board of Education bade a formal farewell to two of its trustees at its June 26 meeting. Trustees Patricia Thiel and Richard "Rick" Simpson, who had earlier announced their retirements from the County Board of Education, were honored for their years of service as County Board of Education Trustees.
Board Vice President Brian Cooley presented outgoing President Rick Simpson with a plaque of appreciation from the Board. Simpson and Thiel were presented with inscribed clocks in commemoration of their years of service as Trustees.
Following the Board meeting, a reception was held in honor of Simpson and Thiel, whose terms conclude at the end of June 2002.
Patricia M. Thiel has served as Area 2 Trustee since 1994. The communities Thiel has represented as Trustee include Antelope, Del Paso Heights, Elverta, Gardenland, Hagginwood, North Highlands, North and South Natomas, North Sacramento, Rio Linda, Robla, and a portion of Foothill Farms. Thiel served one term as Board President and one term as Vice President. A resident of Rio Linda, Thiel is employed as an outreach counselor for California State University, Sacramento. Prior to joining the Sacramento County Board of Education, Thiel served as a Trustee for the Elverta School Board.
Rick Simpson, who has served since 1990 as a County Board of Education Trustee, is a resident of the Arden/Rosemont area of Sacramento. He represents Area 3, which includes the communities of Arden, Arden Oaks, Arden Park, Campus Commons, La Riviera, Rosemont, Town and Country Village, and portions of Carmichael and Foothill Farms. In his twelve years as a County Board of Education Trustee, Simpson has served three terms as Board President and Vice President. Simpson is employed as Policy Director for California Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson.