Alumnus and dedicated trustee, Mr. Ruben Herrera, passed away on March 2, 2024.  

Dear Scorpion Community,

Texas Southmost College has lost a good friend and colleague. It is with great sadness that we announce that Mr. Ruben Herrera passed away on March 2, 2024. As an alumnus and dedicated trustee, Trustee Herrera was a strong advocate for the college, faculty, staff, students, and the communities he served.

Trustee Herrera first joined the Scorpion Family as a non-traditional student studying criminal justice. He credited the college’s supportive Student Services staff for helping him navigate the enrollment and financial aid process, putting him on the right path to begin his college career. He also lauded his caring faculty for embracing his maturity as a father of two and seeking him out as a student employee. He believed so strongly in the high-quality education that TSC provided to the community, he became the first of three generations of his immediate family to graduate from the college and was the keynote speaker at his granddaughter’s graduation in Spring 2021.

Trustee Herrera ultimately earned a Juris Doctor degree from Texas Southern University and went on to lead a successful Brownsville law firm. He was an active community leader, serving on the boards of  Texas Southmost College Foundation, Tip of Texas Family Outreach, Community Development Corporation, Brownsville Economic Development Corporation, Brownsville Housing Authority, Cameron Works, and Brownsville Visitors and Convention Bureau. He was also a graduate of Leadership Brownsville, Class IX, where he served as Junior Leadership Brownsville Chair.

Trustee Herrera most recently served as Immediate Past Chair of the Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees. He was elected in May 2016 and served on the Executive Committee as Secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair. When his fellow board members elected him Chair in 2020, he shared, “It was never my plan to become a public figure. All of it was so new to me. But I’m proud of TSC and what it did for me and what it does for our community. I am a product of TSC and I felt it was my duty to serve the college.”

During his tenure, Trustee Herrera supported lowering tuition and fees, reducing the property tax rate, developing new programs, investing in workforce training lab renovations, and approving campus building enhancements. His legacy includes establishing TSC’s Legal Center, which officially opened for the Spring 2024 semester. Trustee Herrera was a member of the subcommittee that led the magnificent renovation of the 5,716-square-foot building that includes a full-size courtroom, jury/conference room, two classrooms, and a digital law library. Throughout the project, he brought together students, faculty, staff, master craftsmen, and local legal experts to consult on the project, which provides a cohesive space where students in the TSC Paralegal Studies and Criminal Justice programs can gain practical experience in a courtroom setting.

We are grateful for his service. He will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Herrera family at this time.