Special to The Dallas Examiner
Members of the Dallas County Community College District’s board of trustees unanimously approved a recommendation from Dr. Joe May, DCCCD’s chancellor, to appointment Dr. Eddie Tealer as the new president of Eastfield College.
“On behalf of the DCCCD board of trustees, I want to congratulate Dr. Tealer on his appointment,” said Diana Flores, chair of the board.
Tealer, who currently serves as vice president for business services at North Lake College, will begin his tenure as Eastfield’s president Oct. 15. He will succeed Dr. Jean Conway, who will retire this month.
“I am excited about the future of Eastfield College under Dr. Tealer’s leadership as we move forward together to serve our students and the community,” May said. “Congratulations to Dr. Tealer on his first college presidency.”
“He is committed to student and community success, leadership, academics and diversity. I also wish to thank the search committee and all members of the Eastfield community who participated in forums and discussions during this process,” May added.
“Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. I hope to follow in Dr. Conway’s footsteps so that we can continue on our path of success for faculty and staff – but particularly for our students,” Tealer said, addressing the trustees following the vote.
The new college president then shared a short family story about his grandfather who had worked full time in manufacturing when his grandson was growing up, but who also did part-time plumbing work to help others.
“My grandfather helped folks in the community and charged them what they could afford to pay. He saved that money and told me that it was an investment in the future,” Tealer recalled. “When it was time for me to go to college, my grandfather gave me the money he had saved and told me, ‘The future is you.’”
“I wanted this job [as president of Eastfield College] because I want to invest in our students now. My grandfather would have been proud of me,” he added.
May also acknowledged Conway’s accomplishments during her eight years of service as Eastfield’s CEO.
“We are proud of the work that Dr. Jean Conway has done,” May said. “During that time, Eastfield successfully established two collegiate academies, two early college high schools and two Pathways to Technology, or P-Tech, early college high schools.”
“The college’s Pleasant Grove campus and the Pleasant Grove Advisory Council will have a lasting impact on that community. Significant increases in enrollment growth and graduation rates are among other benchmarks of Dr. Conway’s administration,” he added.
Tealer joined DCCCD in 2008 as a senior financial analyst on the district’s bond management team. He also served as district director of business services from 2010 to 2013; executive director of business services from 2013 to 2014; and has served as North Lake’s vice president for business services since 2014. Before he began his employment with DCCCD, he worked for several private companies and a bank.
Furthermore, Tealer has taught as an adjunct instructor at Southern Methodist University and the University of Dallas.
Tealer earned a doctorate in leadership studies from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio; a master’s degree in management (corporate finance) from the University of Dallas; a second master’s degree in business administration (management) from Our Lady of the Lake University; and his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of North Texas.