Technology college names next president for Murfreesboro campus
Patrick Wade was announced as the next president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Murfreesboro during the Tennessee Board of Regents quarterly meeting on Dec. 1, and appointed Susan L. Hatto as the next president of TCAT Athens.
Chancellor Flora W. Tydings recommended both candidates to the board after reviewing input from the two college communities following campus forums last month, and then further interviewing the finalists. Both were among separate sets of finalists selected by search committees at their respective colleges.
“I believe these are the best individuals to lead TCAT Athens and TCAT Murfreesboro, by continuing the good work that is already in progress at both colleges,” Tydings said. “I believe they can lead our colleges into an even brighter future centered on student success.” Both will take office early in the new year.
Wade is currently vice president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Knoxville, where he has worked since 2012. He holds a master of science in management and leadership from Western Governors University and a bachelor of business administration in finance from Tennessee Technological University. His resumé and more information about the college are posted at https://www.tbr.edu/hr/executivesearches/president-tcat-murfreesboro.
Wade will succeed Dr. Carol Puryear, who retired in September after more than 28 years of service in the TBR system, including two separate tenures as TCAT Murfreesboro’s president and as a vice chancellor at the system office. Dr. Jeff Sisk, executive director of the TBR Center for Workforce Development, is serving as interim president. “Thank you for the trust and the wonderful opportunity to serve the Murfreesboro area and Tennessee. I’m ready to jump in feet first,” Wade said.
Hatto is currently dean for industrial education and workforce training at Montcalm Community College in Sidney, Michigan, where she has worked since 2002. Hatto will succeed President Stewart Smith, who is retiring at the end of the year after 21 years as TCAT Athens’ chief executive officer and 30 years of overall service with Tennessee’s public technical colleges.
The board approved the search criteria for both presidencies in August. Separate search committees at each college reviewed and interviewed candidates before recommending finalists. Search committees were composed of Board of Regents members and representatives of the colleges’ faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the local business and civic communities.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Technology college names next president for Murfreesboro campus
