Dr. Barbara Kavalier has been appointed associate vice president for student services at Tacoma Community College. Kavalier brings more than 19 years of experience as a community college administrator and an energetic vision for student services.

“My vision for Student Services is to create an environment where students succeed, where employees are thrilled to come to work each day, where innovative thinking will challenge old assumptions and lead to improved services and processes,” Kavalier said. “Our core values will be transformed from words on a page to the way in which we do business.”

Kavalier most recently served as dean/executive assistant to the president at Mountain View College (MVC), one of seven colleges within the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) in Dallas, Texas. She also held the position of dean of planning and research for institutional effectiveness (IE).

Prior to her role as dean of IE, Kavalier served more than 10 years as a student services administrator within the DCCCD, helping to design a nationally recognized program for at-risk students and implementing a one-stop registration system.

Kavalier’s experience with various college constituents, from students to faculty and staff, contribute to her philosophy and the development of future goals for TCC.

“Everyone has the right to learn,” Kavalier said. “The community college is founded on the principle of open access, ensuring a college education for those with limited opportunities and resources. TCC is positioned well to respond to changing demographics.”

A native Texan, Kavalier admits that Tacoma’s designation as the City of Destiny and TCC’s commitment to the community played a role in her decision to accept the position of associate vice president for student services. She is optimistic about the role that she will play in guiding TCC.

Kavalier received her bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University, where she majored in education and minored in English and speech communication, and her master’s degree in business and human relations from Amberton University. She completed her doctorate in educational administration at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) with a specialization in community college leadership.

As Senior Roueche Fellow at UT, she collaborated on several national initiatives and participated in researching and writing about current community college issues. In addition to numerous publications in journals, Kavalier is the co-author of The Entrepreneurial Community College and contributed a chapter in The Leadership Dialogues.