Meet Our Board Officers

Josie Walker

Josie Walker currently serves as the board president for the Hale County Literacy Council and has been a board member since 2012. She formerly served as the board's vice president.

Josie is an employee of the Plainview Independent School District, where she serves as assistant principal at Coronado Middle School, and she is an active member of Primera Iglesia Bautista of Plainview. Her son, Jared, is a member of the Hale County Junior Literacy Council.

As an educator and administrator, she sees her work with HCLC as an extension of her career, and she understands that there is more to “literacy” than simply being able to read and write.

“Literacy is not just about not being able to read, it is about not being able to function in today’s society,” she said, adding that it is a critical part of vocational training and job skills.

Still, while Josie the administrator understands the importance of literacy in an individual becoming employable and self-sufficient, Josie the educator knows the joy that can come from being able to read a good book, and that is why she enjoys being part of the Hale County Literacy Council.

“I want to promote a love of reading as a hobby, not as a necessity,” she said.

Yolanda Vera

Yolanda Vera serves as the vice president for the Hale County Literacy Council. She has been a board member since 2012 and formerly served as the board’s secretary.

When you meet Yolanda two things become clear, her passion for teaching and her enthusiasm for serving the Plainview community.

Yolanda is a retired teacher and taught in Plainview for 34 years. Currently she is working as a substitute teacher for the local school district.

Over the years she taught first, third and fourth grades and her interest in literacy training grew as she realized that students were learning to read in the early grades, but some still were struggling not only with with reading but with comprehension skills in later grades. She emphasized the fact that both are important, and she enjoyed seeing the light come one in her students as they attained those skills.

“When the students could comprehend and know what they were reading, they got really excited,” she said.

As a member of HCLC, Yolanda is able not only to bring that excitement to children, but adults as well, and she believes that literacy is more than just learning to read a book. It is learning, period.

“Everyone can learn something,” she explained. “Not everybody can do everything, but everybody can do something. We all can learn. We may learn in different ways and it may take some longer than others, but we all can learn something.”

Jeff Earhart

Jeff Earhart serves as the treasurer for the Hale County Literacy Council and has served on the board since October 2018.

Jeff is the president of Earhart Engineering, Inc. and is a consulting engineer, working primarily with small telephone companies. He joined the board on request, but it has turned out to be a good fit.

“I had been looking for ways to get involved with the community, so when I was asked to join the board, it just seemed like something I should do,” he said.

As a local business owner, Jeff particularly likes the training programs HCLC offers.

“Job readiness training is probably my favorite part of what HCLC does. Teaching skills that people need in order to get jobs is an asset not only to the trainee but to businesses in the community.”