TOMBALL, Texas – Up and coming community college leaders may be in short supply around the country, but Lone Star College-Tomball is bucking the trend. LSC-Tomball’s culture of nurturing leaders has been recognized by the selection of two of its administrators for prestigious national institutes.
Dr. Jackie C. Thomas Jr., LSC-Tomball Chief Strategist, has been accepted to the Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership. The Lakin Institute is a prominent and highly-selective, national professional development program for individuals with excellent prospects to serve in executive leadership positions.
“There’s a need for new leaders in upper-level education because college administrators and educators are retiring, leaving a shortage of qualified people who can fill their shoes,” Thomas said about the importance of the Lakin Institute’s mentoring program. “More young executives are needed in the training pipeline or those positions may go to people outside of the upper-educational system.”
Thomas heads a team of professionals working on a new blueprint for community colleges that could serve the next generation of students. One of his top priorities, the Center for Leadership, Academic and Student Success (CLASS), is led by another rising star on the LSC-Tomball campus, Magdalena Mendoza-Starck, Director of Diversity and Inclusion.
Mendoza-Starck, has been accepted into the 2018 NASPA Escaleras Institute, a highly-selective and respected program designed for professionals who aspire to senior student affairs officer roles at colleges and universities. Mendoza-Starck, who attended Lone Star College, is grateful for the opportunity to give back and make a difference saying, “When I was a student there were many people who helped me and mentored me, and now I want to pay back that investment, so now I’m the one driven to lend a helping hand.”
Thomas may have spoken for both LSC-Tomball administrators when he described how he felt about acceptance into the Lakin Institute, “I admit I was a little nervous waiting to hear the results of the selection process.” And then, sounding a bit relieved, went on to say, “I feel I was fortunate to get in and I’m excited about the opportunity.”
As the Chief Strategist at Lone Star College-Tomball, Thomas is responsible for providing senior-level leadership to College Relations, the Center for Organizational and Teaching Excellence, the Center for Leadership, Academics, and Student Success (CLASS), Multimedia Services, Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning, Grants, and Diversity Initiatives. Prior to serving as Chief Strategist, he spent a year and a half as Assistant Dean and three years as a full-time faculty member at LSC-Tomball.
In Mendoza-Starck’s role as Director of Diversity and Inclusion, she is responsible for providing leadership to CLASS and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. She received her Associate of Science from Lone Star College, her Bachelors of Science in Psychology at the University of Houston-Downtown, and her Masters of Science in Educational Administration in Higher Education from Texas A&M University. She is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Higher Education Leadership from Sam Houston State University.
Lone Star College-Tomball is located at 30555 Tomball Parkway, at the intersection of SH 249 and Zion Road. For more information about the college, call 281.351.3300 or visit LoneStar.edu/Tomball.
Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 99,000 students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion. LSC consists of six colleges, eight centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
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