The Kilgore College Board of Trustees voted Oct. 20 to appoint Dr. Staci Pollan Martin as interim president of the college, effective Nov. 1.
Martin, who currently serves as KC’s vice president of organizational effectiveness and excellence, will step into the interim role following the transition of Dr. Brenda Kays, who has been named president emeritus in recognition of her service to the college. Kays will continue to work for the college to assist with the transition until her retirement on Feb. 28, 2026.
“Being selected as interim president of Kilgore College is the highest honor of my career,” Martin said. “I am grateful to the Board of Trustees for placing their faith in me to serve KC in this role and will do my best to be a good steward of this great institution while it is in my care.”
Martin has served KC since 2001 in a variety of leadership positions, including vice president of student life and college affairs, vice president of student services, vice president of institutional planning, and registrar and director of admissions. She has been a member of the college’s executive leadership team for more than a decade.
She holds a Doctor of Education in higher education from Texas Tech University, where her research focused on dual credit in Texas community colleges. She also earned a Master of Science in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M University–Texarkana and a Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M University–College Station.
During her tenure at KC, Martin has led multiple campus-wide initiatives focused on student success, institutional effectiveness, and innovation. She served as the college’s liaison to both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and has represented KC at state and national conferences.
Before joining KC, she worked at Texas State Technical College–Marshall in student recruiting and marketing, and began her career as a public school math teacher in East Texas.
Martin has been honored multiple times as KC’s Outstanding Employee by her colleagues and was named an honorary life member of Rangerettes Forever. She has also received statewide recognition from the Texas Association for Institutional Research for excellence in professional practice.
She is also a graduate of the KC President’s Leadership Academy and the Chancellor’s Leadership Academy sponsored by Ozarks Technical Community College in Missouri.
The KC Board of Trustees also approved a contract with the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) to provide comprehensive search services to assist the board in its search for a new president.
ACCT presented the board with a draft timeline that tentatively sets a January 2026 deadline for applications and anticipates the new president beginning in June or July 2026.