The Lone Star College Board of Trustees has selected Mario K. Castillo, J.D. to be the sole finalist for the Lone Star College Chancellor position. The decision came during a Special Lone Star College Board of Trustees meeting held July 21.
“This is a historic moment in the history of Lone Star College with the appointment of the first Hispanic Chancellor demonstrating the Lone Star College Board of Trustees’ commitment to our culture of engagement and inclusiveness,” said Michael Stoma, LSC Board of Trustees Chair. “The process to select a new chancellor involved many hours of research and due diligence to ensure we selected the right finalist.”
The search for a new chancellor began in late March 2023 and included a survey for employees to complete that lead to the development of a Chancellor profile along with the formation of Chancellor Search Advisory Committee.
The LSC Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting to appoint Castillo a minimum of 21 days after being named sole finalist. If appointed, Castillo would become the fifth Chancellor of the Lone Star College System.
Castillo served as Lone Star College Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. Castillo’s responsibilities have progressed through the years. Starting as the College’s General Counsel in 2015; promoted to Vice Chancellor and General Counsel in 2016; and was again promoted to Chief Operating officer and General Counsel in 2017. Additionally, Castillo served as interim President at Lone Star College-Kingwood for a little over an academic year.
The Association of Community College Trustees Searches conducted a nationwide search using the LSC Employee Search Advisory Committee criteria to recruit a diverse and high-quality pool of candidates.
“I look forward to working with Mario Castillo to continue our mission of providing comprehensive educational opportunities and programs to enrich lives,” said Stoma. “I would also like to recognize and thank all board members for their work on this very important decision.”
Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. 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 and has been named a 2022 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and recognized by Fortune Magazine and Great Place To Work® as one of this year’s Best Workplaces in Texas™. LSC consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.