New TC dean aims to bridge gap between businesses, community
Brandon Washington, Texarkana College’s new dean of workforce and community and business education, says he’s looking forward to getting the word out on the programs his department offers.
“I’ll be getting off campus and having conversations with the business people, nonprofit organizations and finding out where we can meet needs in our community through the continuing education classes that we offer, various night classes we offer and partner with businesses here to meet their needs. We can bridge that gap with our business partners and community members,” he said.
Washington comes to TC after working for many years in the Texarkana Independent School District. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree in educational administration from Lamar University. In addition, he is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Texarkana and serves on the executive board of the Caddo Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Washington gives his father, Denis Washington, credit for instilling a sense of community service in both he and his two brothers.
“Being a home-grown person, this community just means a lot to me,” he said, adding that he rang the Salvation Army bell in second grade with his father and brought napkins and plastic forks for elderly people while serving as a runner at the Kiwanis pancake breakfast.
“He pulled me to every event,” Washington said. “It was important to him and he made it important to me and my two brothers that you do your job, you take care of home and then you contribute to the community and you look out for others that are in need. From an early age, he just taught service, give back and help any way you can.”
He said those community connections will assist him with his goal of improving awareness of the myriad programs offered through his department. TC offers several workforce certificates and associate’s degrees, giving students the opportunity to pursue a bachelor’s degree in applied arts and sciences at a four-year university.
“It’s just informing them about the programs here and the certificates we offer and getting them to an associate’s degree,” Washington said. “As we see now where the economy is going, where the jobs are going—a lot of jobs are being eliminated, but it’s creating so many more opportunities.”
He added that technical skills aren’t the only thing taught through his department. They also teach soft skills, he said, which include proper uniforms, punctuality and professional demeanor.
“We want to push as many out there as we can to get jobs, but we’re not doing this community a service unless they can keep a job once they get there,” he said.
Now in his fourth week in the position, Washington said teaching all of these skills is part of what TC does to unify the community.
“I don’t see it as much of a job,” he said. “There’s a huge demand here. There’s so much growth that we can take advantage of in here and I feel like the community college just brings everything together, from the K-12 schools to businesses, to future businesses that may come in. I feel like we help bring all of that together.”