MOSES LAKE - Juanita Richards, of Moses Lake, was appointed to the board of trustees at Big Bend Community College. Richards will serve a five-year term.

She replaces Mike Blakely, of Quincy, who served two terms on the board.

The appointment was made by Gov. Jay Inslee, effective Oct. 20. College trustees are appointed by the governor.

Currently Richards is the regional manager for Horizon Credit Union. She's also on the executive committee of the Grant County Economic Development Council.

And Richards is a BBCC graduate, earning an associate's degree in general studies in 2009. She'd been working on a degree for nearly two decades, "hit or miss," she said. "It's never too late to earn a degree," she said.

At the time her kids were in college or on their way to college, she said, and she decided to finish her degree along with them. And her employers were supportive of the effort, she said. She fit her classes around her job, "on-line, at night, some morning classes," she said.

That's one of the messages she wants to give to prospective BBCC students in her new job as trustee, she said. There are a lot of people who don't know they have the option of college, Richards said, and she wants to help prospective students learn what's out there. It's also part of her job to promote the options available at Big Bend, she said.

"It's a great opportunity for me to become more involved with the college." She said she hopes her background in business and finance will help the trustees and the college.

Richards is on the advisory board for BBCC's business information management program and is a member of the Moses Lake Kiwanis. She has served as president and board member for the Central Washington Chapter of Credit Unions, and has served on the board of the Washington Credit Union League Foundation. She has lived in Moses Lake since 1993, she said.

"Juanita is an alumna who understands and supports community colleges," BBCC President Terry Leas said. "We are excited to have her join our governance team."