By PAULA JIMENEZ
“I am deeply honored by the board’s confidence and grateful for the opportunity to continue serving Kilgore College in this role.”
Dr. Staci Martin
The Kilgore College Board of Trustees has named Dr. Staci Martin as the sole finalist for the college’s next president. The announcement was made during the board’s April 20th meeting.
In accordance with Texas law, public institutions are required to name a sole finalist and observe a twenty-one-day waiting period before making a final appointment. Dr. Martin has accepted the position, and the board is expected to officially appoint her as Kilgore College’s 10th president at its next regular meeting on May 11th.
Dr. Martin has been serving as interim president since November 1.
The selection of Dr. Martin comes after a comprehensive national search process. A broad-based search committee reviewed about 80 applications, narrowing the pool to four finalists before the Board of Trustees selected two final candidates. The process included four public forums for finalists and opportunities for input from faculty, staff, and community members, both in person and via Zoom. The board retained final authority over the selection.
With a career at Kilgore College spanning more than two decades, Dr. Martin has held a variety of leadership positions, including vice president of student life and college affairs, vice president of student services, vice president of institutional planning, registrar, and director of admissions. She has served on the executive leadership team for over a decade.
Dr. Martin earned her Doctor of Education in higher education from Texas Tech University, focusing her research on dual credit in Texas community colleges. She also holds a Master of Science in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M University-Texarkana and a Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M University-College Station.
Throughout her tenure, Dr. Martin has led campuswide initiatives on student success, institutional effectiveness, and innovation. She has served as the college’s liaison to key accrediting and regulatory bodies and has represented Kilgore College at both state and national conferences.
Prior to joining Kilgore College in 2001, Dr. Martin worked at Texas State Technical College–Marshall in student recruiting and marketing, and began her career as a public school math teacher in East Texas.
“I am deeply honored by the board’s confidence and grateful for the opportunity to continue serving Kilgore College in this role,” Martin said. “KC has a strong tradition of student success and community impact, and I look forward to working alongside our faculty, staff, and community partners to build on that momentum and lead the college into its next chapter.”
Dr. Martin has been recognized multiple times as Kilgore College’s Outstanding Employee and is an honorary life member of Rangerettes Forever. She has also received statewide recognition from the Texas Association for Institutional Research for excellence in professional practice.
She is a graduate of the KC President’s Leadership Academy and the Chancellor’s Leadership Academy sponsored by Ozarks Technical Community College in Missouri.
