{"id":41,"date":"2026-04-17T18:13:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanjac.myseniorfocus.org\/summer-2026-volume-7-issue-2\/three-named-to-strategic-leadership-positions\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T19:26:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T19:26:43","slug":"three-named-to-strategic-leadership-positions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanjac.myseniorfocus.org\/summer-2026-volume-7-issue-2\/three-named-to-strategic-leadership-positions\/","title":{"rendered":"Three named to strategic leadership positions"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Jacinto College announced key leadership changes as part of a strategic realignment of its executive team. \u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Deputy chancellor and College president<\/b> Dr. Laurel Williamson will retire in August 2026. Williamson, who began her career at San Jac in 2007, assumed the deputy chancellor position in February 2013. A native of McComb, Mississippi, Williamson has spent 45 years as an educator.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dr.

Dr. Alexander Okwonna<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Alexander Okwonna<\/span>, currently the North Campus provost, will follow as her successor. Okwonna will continue to lead the North Campus until his replacement is selected. He has been with the College for 21 years, holding various positions of increasing responsibilities.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Central Campus provost Van Wigginton retired in December 2025. Beginning his San Jac career as a government professor in 1995, Wigginton became Central Campus provost in 2014.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dr.

Dr. Rhonda Bell<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Following an internal search process, Dr. Rhonda Bell<\/span>, most recently dean of nursing and imaging, was appointed as the Central Campus provost, effective December 2025.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Previously, Bell served as Central Campus dean of health and natural sciences, guiding the launch of the College\u2019s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and strengthening allied health pathways. With nearly 20 years of teaching and leadership experience at San Jac, she brings a focus on workforce\u2010driven programming and student success to her new position.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dr.

Dr. Christopher Wild<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

In January 2026, Dr. Christopher Wild<\/span> stepped into the Generation Park Campus provost role, replacing Dr. Destry Dokes. Wild has spent more than 15 years at San Jac, beginning as a chemistry faculty member and recently serving as assistant vice chancellor\/vice president of biotechnology. He has led the College\u2019s biomanufacturing and biotechnology training initiatives, including helping develop the Center for Biotechnology at the Generation Park Campus.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

San Jac\u2019s Strategic Leadership Team works together to promote student success and advance the region\u2019s social and economic mobility. The team advises Chancellor Dr. Brenda Hellyer on College-wide strategic direction, makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees, and advances the College\u2019s BOLD 2030 strategic plan.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

By Amanda Fenwick<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

San Jacinto College announced key leadership changes as part of a strategic realignment of its executive team. \u00a0 Deputy chancellor and College president Dr. Laurel Williamson will retire in August 2026. Williamson, who began her career at San Jac in 2007, assumed the deputy chancellor position in February 2013. A native of McComb, Mississippi, Williamson… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1],"tags":[],"article_type":[],"class_list":["post-41","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-news","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThree named to strategic leadership positions - Summer 2026, Volume 7 \u2013 Issue 2<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sanjac.myseniorfocus.org\/summer-2026-volume-7-issue-2\/three-named-to-strategic-leadership-positions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three named to strategic leadership positions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"San Jacinto College announced key leadership changes as part of a strategic realignment of its executive team. \u00a0 Deputy chancellor and College president Dr. Laurel Williamson will retire in August 2026. 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