TSTC Harlingen Presidential Finalists Announced

Finalists for TSTC Harlingen's next president come from a variety of educational backgrounds and have diverse experience in industry and the education sector - but they all call the Rio Grande Valley their home.

The next president will succeed the recently retired Dr. J. Gilbert Leal who served as the third president of TSTC Harlingen for 30 years.

The presidential search committee released finalists' names Wednesday, Sept. 3. They are:

• Thomas Boyd of Laguna Vista, who holds a doctorate of philosophy in 20th century European history with a specialization in diplomacy and Asian relations and currently serves as president of Business & Management Consultants of America, Inc.;
• Hector Castillo of Brownsville who has a master of science in secondary and higher education, is a doctoral candidate in educational administration, and serves as the assistant vice president for academic affairs at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College;
• Pat Hobbs of Rancho Viejo who has a master in business administration and currently serves as interim president and vice president for student learning at Texas State Technical College Harlingen; and
• Cesar Maldonado of Harlingen who has a master of science in chemical engineering, is a doctoral candidate in systems and engineering management, and serves as vice president of Systems Development at Maverick Engineering, Inc.

The Board and Chancellor seek specific characteristics for the next TSTC Harlingen president. As a next generation higher education leader, the president should have a demonstrated capacity to lead and manage, strong communication capabilities, fund raising skills, stature in the local community, be results focused, and have a collaborative style. The position also requires a bachelor's degree with a commitment to further graduate study with a master's degree preferred, and ten years of successful upper-level management experience in industry/business, government, and/or education.

Chancellor Bill Segura resumed the presidential search process after the brief delay caused by Hurricane Dolly and the start of fall classes. The four finalists are invited to meet with the presidential search committee on Sept. 23. Chairman J.V. Martin appointed Regents Rolf Haberecht and Joe Hearne to represent the Board in the interview process. Also on the search committee are Georgeann Calzada, student government association representative; Edna Claus, TSTC Harlingen faculty senate president; Robert Gomez, vice president of administrative services; Jonathan Hoekstra, vice chancellor of human and organization development; Adam Hutchison, vice president of Corporate College; Frank Lewis representing instructional administration; Cathy Maples, vice president of student development; Cindy Mata, staff senate president; and Teri Zamora, vice president of financial services.

Following the interviews, each candidate will be presented to the college community. The Chancellor expects to appoint the next president sometime in mid-October, subject to Board confirmation at the November Board of Regents meeting in Sweetwater, Texas.

About TSTC

The Texas State Technical College System (www.tstc.edu) consists of four technical colleges under the leadership of Chancellor Bill Segura, Ph.D.: TSTC Harlingen, TSTC Marshall, TSTC Waco, and TSTC West Texas, which has campuses in Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood, and Sweetwater. More than 13,000 students attend TSTC each year in credit programs alone, and that number grows to more than 30,000 when short-term continuing education and corporate training programs are included through TSTC Corporate College.