April 26, 2018 – Collin College today announced several administrative appointments and one administrative change:
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Dr. Mary McRae
Dr. Mary McRae has been appointed vice president/provost of the new campus in Wylie, which is scheduled to open in 2020. Dr. McRae has been with Collin College since 1986. She previously served as vice president/provost at two other campuses: the Central Park Campus in McKinney from 2008-2011 and the Spring Creek Campus in Plano from 2011-2018. Dr. McRae holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of North Texas, an M.S. in student counseling and personnel from Drake University, and a B.A. in public health education from Central Michigan University.
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Dr. Abe Johnson
Dr. Abe Johnson has been appointed vice president/provost of the Spring Creek Campus in Plano. He has served in the same role at the Preston Ridge Campus in Frisco since 2015. Dr. Johnson previously served as an associate professor and dean of academic affairs at the college. He holds an Ed.D. in higher education from Texas Tech University, a Th.M. in Bible exposition from Dallas Theological Seminary, a B.A. in family life education from Spring Arbor University, and an A.A.S. in respiratory therapy from Houston Community College.
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Dr. Donald Weasenforth
Dr. Donald Weasenforth has been appointed vice president/provost of the Preston Ridge Campus in Frisco. He has served as associate provost of instruction at the Collin Higher Education Center in McKinney since August 2017. Before that he was dean of academic affairs for communication and the humanities at the college’s Spring Creek campus in Plano. He also served as an assistant professor at The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts & Science from 1995-2003. Dr. Weasenforth holds a Ph.D. in applied linguistics from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
“We are setting the stage for what promises to be a bright future for Collin College,” said District President Dr. Neil Matkin. “Dr. McRae’s many years of administrative experience, including a decade of campus leadership in McKinney and Plano, will be invaluable as we lay the groundwork for the new campus in Wylie, and Dr. Johnson and Dr. Weasenforth will continue the tradition of excellence established at our Spring Creek and Preston Ridge campuses.”
Additional administrative appointments are as follows:
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Dr. Tom Martin
Dr. Tom Martin has been named Vice President of Institutional Research. Dr. Martin joined Collin College as director of institutional research in 1994 and has served as associate vice president in the department since 1999. Prior to that he served as director of planning and institutional research at Odessa College and director of institutional research and planning at Utah Valley University. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Communications, all from Brigham Young University.
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Dr. L. Cameron Neal
Dr. L. Cameron Neal will serve as associate provost of instruction for the college district. He has served as academic dean at the college’s Spring Creek Campus in Plano since 2002. Prior to that he was chair of the mathematics department at Temple College in Temple, Texas. Dr. Neal holds a Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Texas at Austin and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
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Gaye Cooksey
Gaye Cooksey will be the first dean of Collin Weekend College. She has been with Collin College since 2001 and most recently served as dean of academic affairs/workforce at the college’s Spring Creek Campus in Plano. Ms. Cooksey holds an M.A. in organizational management from the University of Phoenix and a B.A. in painting and drawing from the University of North Texas.
“Dr. Martin has provided outstanding leadership in our Institutional Research office for more than 20 years,” said Dr. Brenda Kihl, executive vice president and chief academic officer. “Dr. Neal and Ms. Cooksey are longtime deans who bring diverse academic experiences to their new positions, and their appointments will provide a focused effort on enhancing our university partnerships and our weekend course offerings.”
The administrative appointments are effective May 14.
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Dr. Jennifer Blalock
The college also announced that Dr. Jennifer Blalock, vice president of workforce and economic development, will be returning to her home state of Florida to pursue new opportunities. Dr. Blalock, who joined Collin College in January 2016, has been active in several community organizations and was instrumental in creating the Collin Corporate College training division, including an affiliation with the Disney Institute. She also provided oversight for non-credit workforce and economic development programming across the district.
Collin College serves more than 53,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates. The only public college in the county, Collin College is a partner to business, government and industry, providing customized training and work force development. In addition, the college operates the Collin Higher Education Center, which serves 3,200 additional students each year in partnership with The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Woman’s University, Texas A&M Commerce, Texas Tech and the University of North Texas.