Texas Border Business
HARLINGEN – TSTC Chancellor Mike Reeser appointed Dr. Stella Garcia, a well-respected TSTC administrator with 14 years of executive leadership, as Acting President of the Harlingen campus late today at a town hall meeting of staff and faculty.
Current TSTC Harlingen President, Dr. Cesar Maldonado, has been named the sole finalist to lead Houston Community College as its new Chancellor. Maldonado is expected to take over his new duties after a 21-day waiting period. Dr Garcia will assume the duties of Acting President upon Dr. Maldonado’s departure.
“Dr. Maldonado is a proven educational and workforce development leader in Texas and he is absolutely the right person to lead Houston Community College,” said Chancellor Reeser. “Under his leadership in Harlingen, TSTC has added seven new associate programs, two technical programs and increased graduation numbers 60 percent. Dr. Maldonado fully endorses the decision to have Dr. Garcia take the helm here and keep the momentum going.”
Garcia currently serves as Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Research which focuses on the college’s research, analysis and business intelligence. In this role, she was instrumental in facilitating the timely completion of the compliance certification to the Southern Association of Colleges and School Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) for reaffirmation of accreditation. During this process, which took 18 months, Dr. Garcia was exposed to the entirety of the college’s operations. She is also actively involved in many of the standing committees on campus, serves as the ADA Coordinator, SACSCOC Accreditation Liaison, and IRB Campus Administrator. Garcia has also served as Chief of Staff in the President’s office and Associate Vice President for Community and Corporate Education.
“I’m honored to have been appointed as the Acting President of TSTC Harlingen during this transition period. My recent and past leadership experience has prepared me well for this interim role,” said Garcia. “My focus will be quality student learning, student and employee engagement, stewardship of resources, and community outreach, which aligns with our current strategic plan.”
Garcia received her Ph. D. in Leadership Studies from Our Lady of the Lake University in the Fall of 2012. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Microbiology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s in Public Administration from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University).
A permanent replacement for TSTC Harlingen will be named in six to seven months.
