For immediate release — July 10, 2007
(DALLAS) – Members of the Dallas County Community College District board of trustees unanimously approved a new three-year contract for DCCCD’s chancellor, Dr. Wright Lassiter Jr., effective Sept. 1, 2007, during their regular monthly board meeting today. Lassiter, who was named the district’s CEO in May 2006 after the resignation of Dr. Jesus Carreon, will continue to serve DCCCD through Aug. 31, 2010.
When Lassiter became chancellor, he agreed to serve through Aug. 31, 2008. Since that time, he has moved the district forward and has decided to continue that work in order to build upon the successes of the past year.
“We are making great strides forward in the Dallas County Community College District, and as always, we are focused on education and service to our students,” said Lassiter. “We also strive to serve our communities, area businesses and others who benefit from an educated workforce. As we build more collaboration and better communication among our employees, too, we know that our efforts to reach out to others also improve.”
He added, “I am humbled and excited to continue to serve the district, our students and our community as chancellor of the Dallas County Community College District.”
Jerry Prater, chair of the DCCCD board of trustees, said, “Dr. Lassiter assumed a strong leadership role when our district needed him. He consistently has built an environment that emphasizes communication, cooperation and community. Dr. Lassiter is truly a servant leader, and others from our area, across the state and throughout the nation recognize his integrity and wisdom. We are proud to renew and extend his contract for three years.”
Lassiter became DCCCD chancellor in May 2006 after serving as president of El Centro College for 20 years. Prior to that time, he served as:
- president of Bishop College (Dallas)
- president of Schenectady County Community College (N.Y.)
- vice president for finance and administration at Morgan State University (Baltimore)
- director of auxiliary enterprises/business manager at Tuskegee University — then Tuskegee Institute (Tuskegee, Ala.)
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Lassiter's educational background includes:
- a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Alcorn State University (Miss.)
- a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University
- his doctorate in education from Auburn University (Ala.)
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He recently was selected to serve on the board of trustees for Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas and also will serve on the National Advisory Board for the College of Education at Auburn University.
DCCCD’s chancellor is actively involved in the community. His current and past activities include:
- chairman of the board of trustees for the African American Museum
- immediate past board chair and senior director of the Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas
- board member for several other organizations, including the YMCA Foundation, DBU Foundation and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Foundation
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In 2002, he was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a member of the National Advisory Council to the National Endowment for the Humanities. He previously served as a commissioner for the United States Commission on Minority Business Development and as a member of the Texas Council for the Humanities.
Lassiter is a distinguished adjunct professor of management at DBU and holds an honorary doctor of humanities degree from that institution. In 1995, he was elected to the Indiana University Academy of Alumni Fellows by the IU Kelley School of Business, and he also served a six-year term on the board of advisors for the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University. He currently serves on the advisory board for the Center of Excellence in Science and Mathematics at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
Lassiter has received a number of honors and awards, including:
- the Dallas Oak Cliff Lions Club 2006-2007 Annual Humanitarian Award
- election to the African American Educators Hall of Fame (Dallas)
- selection as one of 47 international educators for participation in the Oxford Round Table at Oxford University in 2005
- recipient of the J. Erik Jonsson Award for Volunteer Service, plus the Above and Beyond Award from United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
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For more information, contact Ann Hatch in the DCCCD office of public and governmental affairs at (214) 860-2478.
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Press contact: Ann Hatch
214-860-2478; ahatch@dcccd.edu