Bryan Renfro has been named dean of the Tyler Junior College School of Professional and Technical Programs, TJC officials have announced. His appointment is effective Aug. 1.
Renfro previously served as dean of business and public services at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa; instructional chair/assistant dean at Colorado Mountain College-Timberline Campus; forensic science and law enforcement instructor at Ben Barber Career and Technical Academy in Mansfield; public safety academy specialist at Tarrant County College; and criminal justice department chair at Northwest Arkansas Community College.
The TJC School of Professional and Technical Programs offers comprehensive degree and certificate programs designed to train students in specific career fields, including: automotive technology; business management; child development/early childhood; computer science; criminal justice; electrical/electronic controls; emergency medical services professions; fire protection technology; game and simulation development; healthcare administration; heating, air conditioning and refrigeration technology; paralegal; photography; power plant technology; public administration; sign language interpreting; surveying and mapping; visual communications; web development; welding technology; and veterinary technology, among others.
As dean, Renfro will report to the provost and vice president for academic and student affairs. He will serve on the TJC Academic and Student Affairs Council and represent TJC at key meetings and events throughout the community.
Dr. Juan Mejia, TJC provost and vice president for academic and student affairs, said, “The TJC School of Professional and Technical Programs has a long-standing history of programs that promote the skills and knowledge required to meet the needs of today’s society and workplace. The faculty and staff from the school are committed to academic excellence, leading to student and community success.”
Renfro was selected following a national search, a thorough committee-review process, and extensive meetings with the college community, Mejia said.
He has completed coursework toward his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Iowa State University and for a Ph.D. in Environmental Dynamics from the University of Arkansas. He holds a master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Arkansas; has completed additional graduate work in criminal justice at the University of Cincinnati; and earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Tennessee.
For more on the TJC School of Professional and Technical Programs, go to www.tjc.edu/proftech.