Dvorak new president of ‘Town and Gown’ group

Lisa Dvorak, community liaison for the city of San Marcos, was elected president of the International Town and Gown Association (ITGA) at the association’s conference in Columbus, Ohio. Dvorak began her year-long tenure on July 1. 

 As the largest network of campus and community professionals, the ITGA is the premier resource for strategies and leading practices in addressing issues between host communities (town) and institutions of higher education (gown).

 “We are excited to have Lisa serve as the incoming ITGA President,” Beth Bagwell, executive director of ITGA, said. “Lisa’s innovative ideas demonstrate her ability to lead at an international level to help improve the quality of life in campus communities around the globe. We are very fortunate to have a passionate and seasoned professional like Lisa lead the ITGA into the coming year.”

 Dvorak is a veteran police officer who retired at the rank of assistant chief of police and went on to lead ACT San Marcos, a collaboration between the city and Texas State University. The program is an internationally recognized problem-oriented policing effort that focuses on shared responsibility, rather than enforcement, in resolving conflict and disorder in town and gown communities.   

 ACT San Marcos has received numerous awards and is included in the upcoming book, “A Studentification Guide for North America: Delivering Harmonious Town & Gown Associations” as a leading practice in taking a research-based approach to resolving conflict.