TTU-HL picks new director

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  • Merrill
    Merrill
  • The Texas Tech University - Highland Lakes campus in Marble Falls is one of the locations that Dr. Celia Merrill will oversee as the regional site director.Contributed
    The Texas Tech University - Highland Lakes campus in Marble Falls is one of the locations that Dr. Celia Merrill will oversee as the regional site director.Contributed
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Texas Tech University announced the hiring of Dr. Celia Merrill as the regional site director for Texas Tech at Highland Lakes in Marble Falls and Texas Tech at Fredericksburg.

Merrill brings to the position a combination of higher education teaching experience and consulting work that focuses on community collaboration among public and private sector stakeholders to address education, workforce, and economic development needs. She has taught technical communications for Texas Tech University and English for Central Texas College.

“It is a privilege to welcome Dr. Merrill as our new director for TTU Fredericksburg and TTU Highland Lakes,” said Otto Ratheal, executive director for the Texas Tech regional sites. “Celia brings a wealth of experience in building effective community coalitions to support student learning, teacher success and new program development.”

Merrill begins the position on June 15.

“I’m very honored to have been selected by Texas Tech to represent the university in these communities,” Merrill said. “The programs offered here by Texas Tech provide an incredible resource for both communities. I’m excited to work toward furthering our use of that resource by growing the programs already in place. By partnering with the communities to explore needs and opportunities, I’m confident we’ll find other program possibilities that will serve local citizens as well as system-wide Texas Tech students accessing the courses through distance learning.”

A resident of Marble Falls since 2012, Merrill also serves as a member of the Marble Falls City Council. Working with Gail Davalos from Mickey West Career Assets, she co-led a region-wide initiative that brought more than $200,000 in workforce training grants to the area. Most recently she has served as the Academic Chair for Humanities and taught Dual Credit English classes at Faith Academy of Marble Falls.

“Obviously, I’ve had the opportunity to learn a lot about Marble Falls and to work within this community,” Merrill notes. “But I have much to learn about Fredericksburg and Gillespie County, and I look forward to getting to know that community’s leaders, businesses and schools. I’m eager to understand their education, workforce and business needs so that they can fully benefit from the investment they’ve made in the Hill Country University Center, where Texas Tech is located.”

Merrill will lead staff at both locations, many of whom also share their time serving both campuses. “As faculty, I’ve worked with the Texas Tech staff at these campuses and look forward to drawing on their expertise as I learn more about the campuses, and as they continue their work with the communities.”