KENOSHA, Wis. — Gateway Technical College has selected Dr. Veronique V. Tran as its next president and CEO, marking a leadership transition at one of the region’s key workforce and technical education institutions.
The college’s Board of Trustees announced that Tran will assume the role effective July 1, following the conclusion of current President Dr. Morgan Phillips’ contract on June 30.
Tran brings more than three decades of experience across engineering, research, and higher education leadership, with a career focused heavily on aligning academic programs with workforce needs and regional economic development.
She currently serves as the founding vice provost of the School of Manufacturing & Industrial Technology at Dallas College, where she oversees a large, multi-campus operation serving thousands of students annually and managing extensive academic and workforce training programs. In that role, she has led efforts to expand credential attainment, build industry partnerships, and create direct pipelines from education to employment.
Her background also includes senior leadership positions at Lee College, Lone Star College, Rice University, and the University of Houston, where she was involved in large-scale institutional initiatives aimed at improving student success and strengthening career pathways.
College officials highlighted Tran’s experience in developing workforce-driven education models, including programs tied to high-demand industries such as advanced manufacturing, logistics, and engineering. Her work has included collaborating with major employers to create training programs that directly connect students to jobs.
Tran’s leadership style has been described as collaborative and student-focused, with an emphasis on expanding access to education and improving outcomes for students, particularly those pursuing career and technical education pathways.
She is also a former Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow, a program that recognizes higher education leaders committed to advancing student success and institutional excellence.
Tran’s personal story reflects her professional focus. A Vietnamese-American and former refugee, she began her academic journey as a first-generation community college student before earning a degree in chemical engineering and later completing a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. Her career began in industry as an engineer with Shell before transitioning into academia and leadership.
Her appointment comes as technical colleges nationwide face increasing pressure to meet workforce demands, address skills gaps, and provide clear pathways to stable, high-paying careers.
With the transition set for July, Gateway Technical College is expected to look to Tran to continue strengthening its role as a regional driver of workforce development and economic mobility.
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22 Responses
we will see. Academically, she is qualified. I wish Gateway the best
“It” looks like a Tran
Lmao 🤣
Another DEI hire
Yup 💯
So, just to be clear, your argument is that someone who’s non-white or non-male is inherently a DEI hire, no matter how long their string of qualifications for the position that they are hired for?
Hardly. Her qualifications are extensive and truthfully the community is luck to have someone in a leadership role within our educational system of her background. STEM is the future and she clearly has the background to make sure our youth has the right focus for it.
Truth is you simply are a racist ass and partisan dick head. Do us all a favor and go back to the kiddy table stuck in the 1970s.
Seems like being some type of school or educational administrator consists of a career looking for the next gig, so wonder if those doing the interview and hiring ever ask the question why are you leaving where you are at?
As a taxpayer would be interesting to see what kind of bennies Gateway hands out….pension, free car perhaps, some type of housing stipend?
The average administrator stays in a position for about 4 years. It is very much a stepping stone to their next gig. they all want to increase spending and building during their gig. So expect construction projects and growth. nothing new here
Why does this career choice result in constant moves and changes ?
Her career has her at, at least 5 colleges that are reported here plus who knows how many more on her way up to the top positions.
As mentioned in another comment, it seems that these “Doctors” in education move around a lot for new challenges. Why is that ?
Is it for higher pay ?
More power ?
More employees to govern over ?
Or do they stay until they piss the board of regents off ?
She can’t be moving here for the weather !!
Not enough snow around here consistently to make outdoor winter activities plentiful.
A couple hundred miles more north to get that.
So if four years is the average stay for a leader in academia, why is that ?
why only four years? they move on to a bigger gig. more pay, maybe a better location, larger campus. and think about it, twin lakes, kenosha, somers, pleasant prairie, all have high turnover regarding administrators. it is a game. i studied and received a mpa from oshkosh. Not bragging, however, the public administration gig is awesome, but you have to start in a small community 5k, after 3years you move a community with 15k, then after 4 years you move to lead a 50k, by this time you have doubled your salary. and you just continue stepping up, nice pay, you pick where you want to live, great pay, nice perks, ect. keep your nose clean. but many do not, and many get in trouble for sexual harassment.
Interesting an informative assessment from a public service perspective. In the corporate realm, multiple job/career changers are consistently viewed with suspicion and derision by single company (the “solid citizen” type) careerists, especially if they have attained equal to greater financial status via greater freedom and independence. They are magnetize envy in most instances (which requires successful political navigation) and in lesser instances, genuine admiration and respect. To be successful as a job changing careerist, on the surface one needs thick skin and a warm, non-threatening accommodating demeanor. On the inside, a cold hard-boiled egg mind with steel tempered wise perception and x-ray vision of colleagues’ characters including brutal, accurate illusion-free assessment filtering of their capacities to successfully integrate and operate in the new environment.
Because they can get more pay. I get it, you don’t realize how corporate America works because you work at Taco Bell and have been for 20 years.
And we are not talking “Corporate America”
These are public jobs. Government paychecks. Schools. People who we trust to teach our children. Constantly moving. People hired by ever changing hierarchy boards.
People who are always looking to put their stamp on their time in those positions of power !
I get the pay part. Wisconsin is known for long term teachers getting publicly paid degrees over their tenure to then end their 30 plus year careers taking administrative jobs to increase their last years in the system to inflate their final state pension payouts.
Nope, not Taco Bell. Just a guy who’s seen it happen over and over and over again.
Yes. My personal chief qualification for Gateway’s new president would have been “willing to commit to stay in this job for a decade plus, to build something lasting and provide stability.” Which is really not something that’s fair to ask of an employee who is going to have their own life and concerns beyond the job.
It’s just so irritating to see all this months-long effort expended to hire someone impressive, and then they hop in and out of the job.
Then you better open up your wallet because everyone is doing what everyone else would do in their shoes. Tell me different and you’re a lier.
We expect our public servants to work for peanuts and at the same time require they have the skills of a billion dollar company CEO making millions a year. You wonder why we get what we get? Think.
The mayor is the CEO of a $150 million dollar a year company for all intents and purposes and makes $100k a year. Their corporate counterpart would probably make $300-500k a year and that’s not including stock options.
Use your brain. You get what you get and will like it – because you chose to structure things this way.
Change the leaderships pay to reflect the CEO counterpart and watch the caliber of applicants you get. Simple.
Just to be clear, this was NOT the staff’s choice.
This person seemed like the least qualified and not very impressive.
Inquiring minds want to know !
I think the “job hopping” concerns are legitimate. Also legitimate to ask is how committed she will be to Gateway and the community.
Having said this, I think it’s time for a top-down audit of Gateway and I’m not talking about finances as much as whether it’s actually meeting the needs of the community now and in the future. When the Kenosha campus was built in the 1960’s it was state of the art — then. But what about now? And what is being done to address affordability?
Maybe Dr. Tran is the best choice. Time will tell.
Maybe she will put a leash on the corrupt and incompetent HR dept.