Board of Regents Confirms Appointment of Dr. Thomas Johnson as President of Lamar State College-Orange

August 16, 2018


(LOST PINES, TX) – The Board of Regents of the Texas State University System today confirmed the appointment of Thomas A. Johnson, Ed.D., as president of Lamar State College-Orange. Dr. Johnson currently serves as assistant vice president of student affairs at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. He will assume the presidency at LSCO on September 4.

“As we near our 50th anniversary, we celebrate the past and look forward to the future,” said Johnson. “The Golden Era of LSCO lays ahead for us to blaze new trails of excellence in higher education.”

Johnson began his tenure at Tyler Junior College in 2006 and has served in a variety of positions, including chair of the Public Safety Technology department and associate dean of the School of Applied Studies, before ascending to his current position in student affairs.

His academic career also includes teaching and administrative positions at Houston Community College and Sam Houston State University. At SHSU, Johnson managed the U.S. Border Intelligence Network Grant Program and taught undergraduate and graduate criminal justice courses.

Johnson began his career as an officer in the Houston Police Department, where he served in a variety of patrol and administrative positions before retiring from a 20-year law enforcement career.

He has earned five college degrees, including two associate degrees, a bachelor of science in Criminology and Corrections and a master of science in Criminal Justice Management from Sam Houston State University, and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Texas Southern University.

Johnson succeeds LSCO President Mike Shahan, who announced his retirement earlier this year after more than 24 years of service to the university.

Lamar State College-Orange is a member of the Texas State University System, which comprises seven institutions from the Big Bend Region to the Gulf Coast. The Texas State University System is the oldest university system in Texas, enrolling more than 84,000 students and employing 16,000 faculty and staff.

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