OFF TO THE RACES - Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative

BLUEBONNET
board of directors
Fulfillment of a dream
Roderick Emanuel brings deep roots, community service to Bluebonnet
By Janet Wilson
Roderick Emanuel’s
life revolves around
family, church and
community. He
lives in Bastrop,
across the street from his
parents, Jimmie and Ruth
Emanuel, who live in the
home where he and his sister
and brother, who died in
2005, grew up.
When not at work — he’s director
of Employee Relations for the Bastrop
Independent School District — Emanuel
and his wife Charlene spend time with
their son, Roderick. Jr., 15, watching him
perform in the high school band (he’s
a percussionist) and compete in tennis
matches and basketball games.
Emanuel, 53, raises Hereford cattle on
the family farm off Texas 20 where, as a
young boy, he built fences and planted and
harvested corn and sugar cane, wheat and
oats. His son works alongside him now,
three generations nurturing the land.
A sought-after motivational speaker, he
also serves as deacon at the church he has
attended all his life — Hopewell Primitive
Baptist Church in Cedar Creek.
He was elected to Bluebonnet’s board of
directors in May and was the first African-
American to run and to be elected to serve
on the 11-member board. He also was the
first to win after nominating himself by
petition.
“I’m no politician. This is the first time I
have run for anything,” he said.
Emanuel earned a Bachelor of Science
in Education from Southwest Texas State
University (now Texas State University) and
a superintendent’s certificate from Prairie
View A&M University. He has always
worked in education, teaching at the Gary
Jobs Corps Center in San Marcos and at
schools in Bastrop before being promoted
to his administrative position. He served as
superintendent of the Bastrop Independent
Sarah Beal photo
Roderick Emanuel is an administrator with the Bastrop Independent School District. 'I'm
excited to be part of an organization moving in the right direction,' he said.
School District from 2002 to 2010.
“I had always wanted to serve on the
(Bluebonnet co-op) board but I didn’t
have time until I stepped down from the
superintendent’s job,” Emanuel said. “I
thought now I have more time and am able
to fulfill some of my dreams. I’ve always
been impressed with Bluebonnet Electric
and wanted to join the team.”
Four seats were up for election in May
and Emanuel learned that all he needed
to do to get his name on the ballot was to
gather 50 signatures. He got 266 in one
weekend from family and close friends. He
was one of eight candidates on the ballot.
“I see myself not necessarily as the
first minority but as an individual who is
concerned about people and about making a
difference, and also reaching out and giving
back what I can to assist this organization to
move forward,” he said.
Emanuel said his experience as
superintendent of an 8,000-student district
will prove valuable to the board.
“I welcome the opportunity to do what I
can to make a difference,” he said. n
22 TEXAS CO-OP POWER July 2011 BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE EDITION