The Tarrant County College Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Diane Patrick, Ph.D., to fill the District 3 seat recently vacated by Kristin Vandergriff. Patrick will take the oath of office at the Aug. 18 board meeting.
District 3 covers north and central Arlington and part of Euless. Patrick’s appointment will run through May 2017. The May election will be for the remainder of the unexpired term, which ends May 2021. Trustees selected Patrick from among four finalists.
Patrick has been a dedicated servant in Tarrant County for more than 40 years, including 24 years as an elected official. She recently concluded an eight-year run as a Texas State Representative, serving on the Appropriations, Higher Education and Public Education Committees. Prior to her service in the Texas House, Patrick was a member of the Arlington ISD Board of Trustees and Texas State Board of Education.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of North Texas and administrative certification from The University of Texas at Arlington. Professionally, Patrick has been an elementary teacher, a psychiatric hospital education director and adjunct professor for Texas Christian University and Dallas Baptist University. Patrick recently returned to The University of Texas at Arlington as full-time Education Leadership faculty in the College of Education.
“TCC is the future. Not only for our community and Tarrant County, but in the region and the nation,” Patrick said after her appointment. “It’s going to be a great team as we move forward into the future, as we look at workforce development, transitions, public-private partnerships, distance education and research at the community college level.”
The TCC Board of Trustees approves the College budget, sets the College District tax rate and approves the policies governing Tarrant County College. The Board consists of seven members, all of whom are elected to represent specific geographic areas within Tarrant County.