The Virginia Governor’s Office today announced the appointment of former Virginia Senator Edd Houck and Fred Rankin, president and chief executive officer of Mary Washington Healthcare, to the Board of Visitors at the University of Mary Washington. Houck and Rankin will serve four-year terms, which expire June 30, 2018. They succeed Joseph Wilson and Xavier Richardson, whose terms will end on June 30, 2014. Holly Cuellar ’89, current rector of the board, has been reappointed for an additional four-year term, which will extend through June 30, 2018.
Holly Cuellar
Cuellar, a 1989 graduate of Mary Washington, has served on the UMW Board of Visitors since 2010, and as rector since 2013. Currently a resident of the San Diego area, she is membership director for The IABM, a trade association that represents the broadcast supply industry. Cuellar previously served in the Office of the Virginia Attorney General as deputy scheduler and as the Hampton Roads community outreach coordinator, maintaining and supporting the Class Action program for Virginia school children. She also served on the City of Virginia Beach’s Gang Task Force, was a regional manager for the Keeping Virginia Safe and Strong programs, and helped develop programs to promote internet safety and senior advocacy.
Photo courtesy of Edd Houck
Edd Houck
A longtime legislator and educator, Houck represented the 17th District in the Virginia Senate from 1984 to 2012. In addition to his legislative duties, Houck worked in the public schools for 34 years, including as a middle school science teacher, guidance counselor, assistant principal, and the director of student services for Fredericksburg City Public Schools. He retired in 2007. He then served until last year as director of community and corporate programs for Mary Washington Healthcare.
Houck received a bachelor’s in education from Concord College (Athens, W.Va.), and a master’s in education from the University of Virginia.
Fred Rankin
Rankin has served as president and CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare since 1995. Mary Washington Healthcare is a private not-for-profit regional system of healthcare facilities and wellness centers, including Mary Washington Hospital and Stafford Hospital, which serves the greater Rappahannock region.
Rankin is a past president of the Rappahannock Area United Way and continues to serve on the United Way’s Board of Directors. He also has served on the Board of Directors of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Directors of the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance, a public-private partnership. He co-chairs, along with UMW President Richard V. Hurley, an ongoing regional economic development initiative. Rankin also is a member of the UMW Foundation Board of Directors.
Rankin received a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health.
