Newly appointed HCC interim chancellor Ford Fisher: 'What we’re going to do is focus on a talent-strong Houston and also a talent-strong Texas'

The Houston Community College (HCC) Board of Trustees unanimously approved the appointment of Dr. Margaret Ford Fisher as the system’s interim chancellor at a special meeting held on July 11, HCC announced in a tweet. The trustees moved forward with the decision upon the conclusion of the state-mandated three-week window that began on June 20 when they named Fisher the sole finalist for the position to be vacated by Dr. Cesar Maldonado.

“We have a strategic plan embracing Houston’s future that our board members approved, and that strategic plan combines the groundwork for all of what we do to serve our community,” Fisher said in a video HCC shared in the tweet. ”But the Coordinating Board also has a strategic plan, and that strategic plan focuses on a talent-strong Texas. “What we’re going to do is focus on a talent-strong Houston and also a talent-strong Texas for every single resident of our nine-trustee district.”

Per an HCC-issued press release, Fisher comes into the chancellor position from a stint as the inaugural president of HCC Online, which was established in early 2018. Under her watch, HCC Online earned recognition this year and last from Newsweek as one of its “One of America’s Best Online Colleges,” as well as for starting over 60 fully online degrees and more than 70 hybrid programs, the release said.

HCC said that Fisher, who has been with the system since 1985, helmed its Northeast College campus for 20 years before the creation of HCC Online. She played a huge role in helping garner 73% voter approval for a proposal that saw the campus join the HCC District, per the release.

Described in the release as a lifelong advocate for education at the local, national and international levels, Fisher has taught at Texas Southern University (TSU) and the University of Houston (UH), as well as a high school in Kansas.

According to HCC, Fisher earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wichita State University and a doctorate degree from UH. The release said that she penned more than 50 publications and four books, one of which was the first to delve on the subject of dual credit.