OPENING SESSION
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
TBD CST
Dr. Linda García
Executive Director, Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE)
“Welcome to the Conference”
About Dr. Linda García
Dr. Linda García is the Executive Director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) at The University of Texas at Austin. Linda never imagined she would one day lead CCCSE. In fact, she never dreamed of earning a doctoral degree. As children, Linda and her siblings constantly heard from their parents—a father who grew up as a migrant worker and a mother who immigrated to the United States from Mexico—that enrolling in college after high school graduation was the only choice to pursue. Even though she aspired to rise to the ranks of her favorite journalist, Diane Sawyer, little did she know that people and situations along her journey would become “turning points” that prepared her to become a community college leader.
Prior to her current role, Linda served as the Assistant Director of College Relations at CCCSE. She was Vice President of Community College Relations at the Roueche Graduate Center at National American University, and she has worked at Lone Star College, Maricopa Community Colleges, and The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. Linda served as a coach for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Pathways 2.0 and continues in this same role for the Texas Pathways Project.
Linda is an award recipient of the Terry O’Banion Prize for Inspiring Significant change to Teaching and Learning by the League for Innovation. She was also awarded the College of Education’s Leadership Excellence Award by The University of Texas at Austin. She is also serves on the AACC Board of Directors, New Directions for Community Colleges Editorial Board, National Alliance of Community and Technical Colleges (NACTC) Board, National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Board, Seal of Excelencia Advisory Council, Complete College America AI Council, and Texas Pathways Knowledge Development Steering Committee.
Linda earned a Bachelor of Journalism with a concentration in broadcast and a doctorate in higher education administration with a specialization in community college leadership from The University of Texas at Austin. Her Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies degree is from The University of Texas at Brownsville.
KEYNOTE SESSIONS
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
10:00-11:00 a.m. CST
Dr. Anton R. Reece
President, West Kentucky Community and Technical College
“Innovative Strategies for Leadership: Secret Recipes for Success”
Dr. Anton Reece launched his first book, “Innovative Strategies to Leadership: Secret Recipes for Success” earlier this year. This book captures Dr. Reece’s leadership journey and ten essential metaphorical ingredients he utilized and incorporated to embrace and prepare for leadership challenges, setbacks, resilience, and moments of success. The core audience of the book is emerging college students, new leaders, and seasoned leaders seeking leadership opportunities. In this presentation, Dr. Reece will share insights related to his ten recipes of success: 1) Fundamentally sound in the basics 2) Self-Organization 3) Communication Skills 4) Know your Triggers. 5) Handling Criticism 6) Emotional Intelligence 7) Humility and Empathy 8) “Reading the Room” 9) Navigating Internal and External Politics 10) Mental and Physical Wellness.
About Dr. Anton R. Reece
Dr. Anton R. Reece hails originally from the Caribbean Country of Barbados. Dr. Reece has an extensive dual career in broadcasting and has also served more than 30 years in higher education. Dr. Reece is an honor graduate with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast news and a master’s degree in counseling from Eastern Kentucky University, twenty-four hours above his master’s from Murray State University, and a doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. Dr. Reece was WKCTC’s Dean of Student Affairs and enrollment. Dr Reece has also served as Associate Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and Executive Director of Student Success at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
On October 1, 2016, Dr. Reece second President of West Kentucky Community and Technical college. Dr. Reece is humbled to serve as President of WKCTC, which according to the Aspen Institute is a record five-time, top-ten ranked college, and in May 2021 ranked in the top 5 colleges with distinction among the nation’s more than 1000 community and technical colleges. Dr. Reece selected to the Aspen new Presidents Fellowship’s 2021 cohort. Under Dr. Reece’s leadership WKCTC also received a record 15 million dollar grant from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott in December 2020.
Dr. Reece has 30 years of extensive student success, enrollment, retention, teaching and learning, leadership expertise. He is a highly sought-after national speaker and has spoken to over 600 varied audiences in New York, Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Minnesota, and Arizona. These audiences include corporations, colleges, high schools, youth organizations, churches, and prisons, and have provided him with critical material to empower others.
At the regional and local level, Dr. Reece utilized his visionary, creative and leadership to actively build partnerships, convene teams with transformative results and intentionality outreach to rural and underserved communities, and engage K-12 education, business, industry, religious, Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development, and community partners in Paducah and the Jackson Purchase area. Dr. Reece pioneered the annual Regional Educators Award for K-12 educators and the first Regional Business Symposium attracting over 100 businesses and CEOs to address workforce and economic development needs.
Dr. Reece sums up his leadership style, as “empowering others to find their voice by achieving their education and career dreams with direction and purpose.”
Thursday, October 23, 2025
10:00-11:00 a.m. CST
Dr. Brad C. Phillips
Founder and CEO, Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC)
“Sense of Belong and Caring Campus”
Hear Dr. Brad Phillips facilitate a discussion with presidents on cultivating student belonging and creating a caring campus.
About Dr. Brad C. Phillips
Dr. Brad C. Phillips, president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC), leads the organization’s focus on improving educational practice and outcomes in schools, colleges and universities. He has pioneered the collaborative collection and sharing of data across educational segments; the effective use of meaningful data; and its connection to educator use and institutional change. He is the co-author of the book Creating A Data-Informed Culture In Community Colleges, published by Harvard Education Press. He is an IEBC Caring Campus coach, a frequent keynote speaker, author of numerous articles, and recipient of recognitions and honors. He has served as a data facilitator for Achieving the Dream; member of the Advisory Board of the Texas Student Success Center, member of the California Guided Pathways Advisory Board and is an Ambassador with the Leap of Reason national initiative.
Dr. Phillips holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University Northridge and a master’s degree in psychology from California State University Los Angeles. Prior to pursuing his doctoral degree, he worked as a therapist in community mental health. He earned his doctorate in psychology with an emphasis in research methods and statistics from Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Phillips is the founder of both the California Partnership for Achieving Student Success (Cal-PASS) and IEBC.
