Four Black candidates will vie for the Subdistrict 1 seat on the St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees. St. Louis Community College is governed by six board members who represent the four sub districts of the college service areas, and one appointed board member.
The candidates, Theo Brown, Sr., Cortez Harris, and Clem Smith will challenge incumbent, Doris Graham in the April 2 election. The winner will serve a six-year term.
About the Candidates:
Doris A. Graham, Ph.D.
Incumbent Doris A. Graham, Ph.D., of north St. Louis County, was elected to the STLCC Board of Trustees in 2012. She earned a doctorate in educational administration/superintendency from Saint Louis University, a master’s degree in elementary administration/principalship from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Harris Teachers College.
She also served on the Ferguson-Florissant School District Board for 23 years. During that time, the district twice was recognized as a school district of distinction by the Missouri School Boards Association.
During her tenure with St. Louis Public Schools, Graham was a classroom teacher, remedial reading specialist and co-host of an after-school radio program. She spent 38 years as assistant principal at Ames Visual and Performing Arts Elementary School in St. Louis before retiring in 2005. Graham also holds a master of arts in pastoral studies from the Aquinas Institute of Theology.
Theodis Brown, Sr.
Theodis Brown, Sr., is the current chief of the Castlepoint Fire Protection Association. He is also a trustee and retired sergeant at arms officer of the Castlepoint Community Association. Brown was elected to the STLCC Board of Trustees in 2014, resigning that same year.
Brown graduated from the St. Louis Police Academy in 1970 and formerly served as the chief of police and fire marshal in Kinloch. He is also a 1977 graduate from the St. Louis Major Case Squad Police Detective Academy. He graduated from the St. Louis Fire Academy in 1978 and is a member of the Fire Marshal Association of Missouri.
Brown is a member of the Missouri Peace Officers Association, the Missouri State Investigators Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the St. Louis Police Veterans Association. Brown is a freelance paralegal who studied at the Blackstone School of Law and is a member of the National Paralegal Association.
Brown, a graduate of Sumner High School, is a former member of the Alumni Association of St. Louis Community College and father of five adult children.
Cortez Harris
Cortez Harris obtained his high school diploma from Charles Sumner High. He attended St. Louis Community College and graduated from Columbia (Mo.) College with a bachelor’s in business administration.
Harris, who is married with four children and a grandson, currently serves on the Parking Ministry at Church on the Rock in St. Peters, Mo. He currently serves as a delegate to the Mid America Carpenters Regional Council and the St. Louis Union Label and Trades and, for the past 13 years, has been employed as a union carpenter.
Harris is also a delegate for the Local 97 United Brotherhood of Carpenters E-Board and has served as a mentor to the new apprentices that joined Local 97 Carpenters’ Union. He also serves on the Architectural Review Board for the City of Black Jack.
Clem Smith, a graduate of Clayton High School, earned his bachelor’s degree from Columbia (Mo.) College, and Certificate of Specialization in Skilled Trades Industrial Training from St. Louis Community College.
Smith graduated from St. Louis Community College’s Boeing Pre-Employment Training program which led to seven years of employment at The Boeing Company. He is also stationary engineer for The Phillips 66 Company, and former State Representative of St. Louis County’s 85th district (2011-2019.).
Smith has more than 13 years’ experience in community advocacy, legislating, government oversight, and policy research. He formerly served on the executive boards of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, National Labor Caucus of State Legislators, and the Advisory Board of Missouri Vocational Enterprise Program.
Smith has served eight years in the Missouri Legislature, and five years as senior policy advisor for State Senator Karla May. One of the “notable achievements” he cites in his bio, is the successful passage of the College Credit Disclosure Act in 2018. The act provides transparency and support for college students by requiring institutions to disclose information about the transferability of college credits. As the author of this legislation, Smith said he has demonstrated “a keen focus on education policy.”
In 2023, Smith helped start the Uplift Foundation of Greater St. Louis to assist in the areas of youth mentoring, financial empowerment, and eliminating educational inequity. He is a member of the St. Louis Community College Alumni Association, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the International Union of Operating Engineers.
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.
