South Plains College Board of Regents
South Plains College is governed by a seven-member Board of Regents elected to staggered six-year terms by the registered voters of the South Plains College District. The college's district encompasses Hockley County and the Whiteface Independent School District portion of Cochran County.
The board functions to set policy for the college, to ensure the college's financial well-being and to select and hire the President of the College. Members of the Board of Regents include the following individuals.
Mike Box, Chairman
Position 3, Term Expires May 2028
Mr. Box has served on the SPC Board of Regents since May 1986 and was elected chairman of the board in May 1994. He was re-elected to Position 3 on May 7, 2016.
A longtime community leader, Mr. Box spent 33 years in the banking industry, retiring in 2015 as vice president and branch manager of City Bank Whiteface. He currently serves as a funeral director with Krestridge Funeral Home in Levelland.
Mr. Box is a graduate of South Plains College, where he earned an Associate of Arts degree in 1971. He later attended Texas Tech University, majoring in education.
Throughout his years of service, he has been active in numerous organizations, including the South Plains Football Officials Association, where he served as treasurer, and the South Plains Regional Housing Authority, where he was a member of the board of directors.
Mr. Box has two adult sons and five grandchildren.
Contact Information: 702 Poplar St., Levelland, TX 79336. Telephone: (806) 781-8923 (C)
Ronny Alexander, Vice Chairman
Position 4, Term Expires May 2028
Mr. Ronny Alexander was appointed to the South Plains College Board of Regents on May 10, 2012, to fill the unexpired term of Charles Miller, who resigned from the Board on March 8, 2012. Mr. Alexander was subsequently reelected to Position 4 on May 7, 2016, and currently serves as Vice Chairman.
A lifelong resident of the Levelland area, Mr. Alexander is the owner of Ag Products, Inc., a locally established business that provides a wide range of agricultural products, including feed, fertilizer, chemicals, lawn and garden supplies, and animal health products. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary in March 2022.
Raised on a family farm alongside his six brothers, Mr. Alexander developed a strong appreciation for agriculture and rural communities at an early age. He graduated from Levelland High School in 1977 and began working for Ag Products the following year.
Mr. Alexander remains actively involved in the agricultural community and currently serves on the Hockley County Soil and Water Conservation District Board, the Hockley County Appraisal District Advisory Board, and the Hockley County Junior Livestock Board. He also serves as an elder at Cactus Drive Church of Christ in Levelland.
Mr. Alexander and his wife, Suanne, have two grown sons, both of whom are graduates of South Plains College and Texas Tech University. Their son Chad serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer for Maverick Bank in Lubbock, while their son Chase is Business Line Manager for North American Production Chemicals for SLB in Sugar Land. Mr. Alexander is also the proud grandfather of five grandchildren.
Contact Information: 12 Paxton Place, Levelland, Texas 79336. Telephone: (806) 638-7139 (C)
Richard Ellis, Secretary
Position 7, Term Expires May 2030
Mr. Ellis was elected to the Board on May 5, 2018. He is president of Ellis Holdings, LP, through which he makes minority investments in businesses run by people he enjoys working with, advising them on avoiding common pitfalls while building something profitable. He previously served two years as executive vice president for strategy and finance for Globe Energy Services, LLC, and spent 13 years as president of Paul Musslewhite Trucking Co., LLC, which operated in Levelland for more than 75 years. He began his career as a CPA, practicing public accounting with Arthur Andersen LLP in Houston for five years.
Mr. Ellis is a 1990 graduate of Levelland High School and attended South Plains College during the summers while completing his Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Professional Accounting degrees at The University of Texas at Austin.
He serves as president of the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority, on the SPC Foundation Board, as an active member of YPO Gold, and as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is also past chairman of the Levelland Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and past president of both the Levelland Noon Rotary Club and the Lubbock Chapter of the Texas Motor Transportation Association.
Mr. Ellis and his wife of 25 years, Carrie, have two sons, Austin and Nathan, who both attend The University of Texas at Austin. Carrie is a CPA and active in community service, serving as president of the Levelland ISD Board of Trustees and chairing Bill's Backpacks. The family attends St. Michael Catholic Church, and when they're not busy with work and school, you'll likely find them skiing or traveling together.
Contact Information: P.O. Box 748, Levelland, TX 79336. Telephone: (806) 412-4009 (W)
Jim Mara
Position 1, Term Expires May 2032
Mr. Mara was elected to the SPC Board of Regents on November 3, 2020. He worked in the retail supermarket industry for 54 years before retiring in May 2019 as manager of the United Supermarkets store in Levelland. Mr. Mara is a graduate of Assumption High School in Davenport, Iowa. Throughout his career, he completed numerous business training courses in accounting, leadership, and human resources.
Mr. Mara is active in the Levelland community. He serves on the boards of the Levelland Chamber of Commerce and the Levelland Country Club. He also serves on the Keep Levelland Beautiful Committee and the Early Settlers Day Committee. He is a member of the Noon Rotary Club, a 2006 graduate of Leadership Levelland, and attends St. Michael Catholic Church.
Mr. Mara has two adult daughters, Julianne Mara and Jennifer Mara, both of whom are graduates of South Plains College.
Contact Information: 117 Redwood Lane, Levelland, Texas 79336. Telephone: (806) 897-0526 (H); (806) 470-1240 (C)
Joe Tubb
Position 6, Term Expires May 2030
Mr. Tubb was elected to the South Plains College Board of Regents on November 3, 2020. Mr. Tubb dedicated 45 years to education as a teacher, coach, and college administrator. A graduate of South Plains College, Mr. Tubb received his bachelor's degree in mathematics education from West Texas A&M University and his master's degree in physical education from Sul Ross State University.
After a successful 12-year career coaching football and basketball in Texas high schools, Mr. Tubb joined South Plains College in 1983 as head of the athletics department. Over the next three decades, the Texan and Lady Texan basketball teams claimed a combined 15 Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC) championships and eight Region 5 tournament titles.
Mr. Tubb is a lifetime member of the Texas High School Coaches Association and a former member of its Basketball Advisory Committee. He served as director of NJCAA Region 5 from 1999 to 2009 and has been an active member of NACDA since 1984 and NATYCAA since 1989. During that time, he served on the NACDA Executive Committee for four years and on the NATYCAA Board of Directors beginning in 2001. He is also active in the Levelland community, serving on the board of the Wallace Theater and as a past member of the South Plains College Foundation Board of Directors.
Mr. Tubb has been married to his wife, Kathy, for 59 years. They have a son, Chad, and his wife, Jennifer; a daughter, Lesli, and her husband, Britt Spears; a granddaughter, Kayli, and her husband, Parker Beaty; and a grandson, Kade, and his wife, Catherine. Kayli and Parker have made Joe and Kathy proud great-grandparents of a great-grandson, Walker (3), and a great-granddaughter, Karsyn (1).
Contact Information: 2104 College Avenue, Levelland, Texas 79336. Telephone: (806) 438-7879 (C).
Chris Edens Position 5, Term Expires May 2030
Mr. Edens was elected to the SPC Board of Regents on June 8, 2021. He currently works as the Regional Director of Gift and Estate Planning for Hillsdale College in Michigan.
He attended South Plains College from 1988 to 1990, serving as Student Body President and a member of the Livestock Judging Team. He received his associate’s degree in agriculture. He transferred to Texas Tech University where he received his bachelor’s degree and Master of Science in Agriculture Education.
Mr. Edens is very active in the Levelland community. He serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Levelland. He is currently the president of the South Plains Trust and Estate Council and the past president of the Levelland Breakfast Rotary. Chis is a past recipient of the Jerry Barton Service Achievement Award.
He and his wife DeEtte, associate director of health and wellness at SPC, have three children Kelsi (Dallon) Moorefield of Snow Camp, N.C.; Grady (Megan), a SPC graduate, who attends Texas Tech Medical School; and Grason, who attends Texas Tech University. Chris and DeEtte also have two grandchildren in Snow Camp, N.C. Kace and Noah Moorefield.
Contact Information: 2123 Mustang Drive, Levelland, Texas 79336. Telephone: (806) 894-4111 (H); (806) 300-7885 (C).
Pete Stracener Position 2, Term Expires May 2032
Mr. Stracener was elected to the SPC Board of Regents on April 10, 2025. He previously served as chairperson of SPC's Industrial Technology Department and as a professor of welding technology. After 42 years of dedicated service in 2022, he retired from the college and began working part-time with Terracon Consultants as a structural steel and welding inspector.
Mr. Stracener, an Abernathy native, graduated from Abernathy High School in 1976. He earned a Certificate of Proficiency in welding from SPC in 1978 and an Associate of Applied Science in welding technology in 1982. He later completed a Bachelor of Science in occupational education from Wayland Baptist University in 2006 and a Master of Arts in management in 2009. He became a Certified Welding Inspector through the American Welding Society in 2010 and is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Levelland.
Throughout his life, Mr. Stracener has been actively involved in community service. He was elected to the Hockley County Appraisal District Board of Directors in January 2026. He also serves on the Hockley County Jr. Livestock Show Board of Directors and is superintendent of the Agriculture Mechanics Show. In addition, he is a member of the Whitharral Lions Club and Whitharral Baptist Church.
Mr. Stracener and his wife, Cathy, have two sons, Justin and Sky, who both graduated from SPC and Texas Tech University. Justin owns and operates Stracener Farms. His wife, Summer, is also an SPC graduate, and they have two sons, Ryder and Rhett. Sky owns and operates SS Outfitters. His wife, Sarah, also graduated from SPC and TTU, and they have two daughters, Ryan and Dottie.
Contact Information: 6071 East State Road 114, Levelland, Texas 79336. Telephone: (806)781-5242 (C).
