From the moment DeDe Griffith first experienced a community college, she practically never left. After completing an Associate’s Degree in Drafting Technology at Lee College in Baytown, TX, she led a successful drafting and design company until her love for learning drew her back to Lee College, but this time to serve behind the teaching podium. While working at the college, she returned to her studies at the University of Houston, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Supervision and a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration and Supervision. She is currently enrolled at Kansas State University, completing a Doctorate of Education in Community College Leadership.

As a founding faculty member of the college’s Achieving the Dream Core Team, she has always embraced a student-centric philosophy. In 2017, DeDe agreed to serve as Interim Vice President of Instruction at Lee College, the college’s Chief Academic Officer and state and regional accreditation liaison, bringing together her instructional experience and her commitment to student success.

DeDe joined the Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College (NLTCC) team in 2017. As Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs, she successfully transitioned NLCC from a technical college to a community college. While at NLTCC, she co-authored and served as Principal Investigator on an NSF ATE Grant-funded project in partnership with Texas A&M College Station, 'Educating the Workforce in Cyber & Smart Manufacturing for Industry 4.0'.

A 2017 Aspen Rising Presidential Fellow, DeDe has 26+ years in higher education deeply rooted in Workforce and Technical Education with a strong focus on the intersection of Instruction, Student Success, and STEM Leadership. In 2020, she was named an Aspen Equity Leadership Fellow and completed a 6-month fellowship to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workforce sector.

DeDe has been selected by the National Science Foundation Community College President’s Initiative to serve as a 2023 National STEM Fellow. This year, she assisted in securing and managing more than $3.5M in grant funds to support STEM innovation and student success, focusing on rural and underserved communities.

DeDe joined Temple College on July 26, 2021, to serve as the first Temple College Vice President of Workforce Development. In her first year, she created new programs and revised legacy engineering technology programs to include Industry 4.0 principles, including AR/VR, robotics, and cyber-physical systems.

In 2022, Griffith became President of TDCA – Texas Dual Credit Alliance, the Texas NACEP State Chapter, in its inaugural year.

Treva Askey is a Rural Community Liaison & Special Projects Coordinator for Temple College. With over 20 years of work experience in K-12 and higher education, Treva believes education is the change agent for individuals’ lives and can transform generational poverty into generational success. Focused on building the workforce talent pipeline, she engineers partnerships to connect students to post-secondary experiences and employers leading to high-wage, high-demand careers.

Treva is an experienced educator who is still connected to the classroom as an adjunct faculty for Temple College and Lee College. Previously she served as Vice Chancellor of Academics and Student Affairs at Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College, focused solely on workforce and technical training. Serving on the statewide Louisiana Next Steps Strategic Planning Committee, she was instrumental in developing new programs and building new dual enrollment partnerships. Treva’s experience with Work-Ready-U, Louisiana’s adult basic education population, and leadership skills enabled her to form community partnerships and design new institutional policies and procedures to secure funding for non-traditional students HISET and workforce training, including incarcerated and re-entry students.

Believing that education can be a powerful first step to students achieving success in their life goals, she strives to build opportunities for students to succeed and to close equity gaps. Treva earned a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and a Master of Science from Texas A&M - Corpus Christi. She is currently enrolled at Kansas State University in the John Roueche Community College Leadership Doctoral Program. In February 2023, Treva was elected to serve as a board member and the career and technology representative for TDCA – Texas Dual Credit Alliance, the NACEP Texas State Chapter.

Mary Helen Kelm spent 14 years in public education as a HS Science Teacher and 5 years as a HS Assistant Principal. She is now in her 5th year serving Trinity Valley Community College as the Director of Dual Credit. Her personal mission is to help students graduate from high school with a buffet of options and no “closed doors.”

Danielle Williams is the Assistant Director of Dual Credit for Trinity Valley Community College. She has a Masters in Educational Administration and has been in education for the last 24 years with 23 of them being in public education as a teacher, coach, and Principal. Danielle joined the TVCC team in July of 2023 and has been on a learning curve ever since. She loves what she does…getting to see and have a small hand in helping students start their college journeys.