Chancellor
Dr. Brenda Hellyer, San Jacinto College Chancellor
Brenda Hellyer became the fifth Chancellor of San Jacinto College District (SJCD) on May 1, 2009. Brenda’s involvement with SJCD began in 1996 as an inaugural director for the San Jacinto College Foundation. In 2000, Brenda accepted the position of Executive Vice President for Resource Development, and in 2003 she was appointed as Vice Chancellor of Fiscal Affairs and served as the Chief Financial Officer for San Jacinto College for five years. In each of these positions, Brenda reported directly to the Chancellor and worked closely with the Board of Trustees to both raise and manage funds for the College before accepting the position of Chancellor in 2009.
Brenda holds a B.S. in Accounting from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas in Austin, and an Ed.D. in Community College Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Texas and has completed the AACC’s Future Leader’s Institute, the CRD’s Specialist Training, and the League of Innovation’s Executive Leadership Institute.
Brenda has also served and continues to serve on a variety of community boards and committees including chambers of commerce, economic development councils, city and county government, and non-profit organizations. She participates in many fundraising activities and her duties are varied but best described as “whatever it takes to get the job done.” She demonstrated this most recently as she lead the Hurricane Ike recovery effort at San Jacinto College in September of 2008. Although the college sustained significant damage, under her leadership and that of the senior staff, the college was able to open all three campuses and the district office in 2 ½ weeks and produce an instruction model to allow students to successfully complete the semester on time without overwhelming the students. This model was highly praised by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in the reaccreditation process in November 2008.
Brenda has also been instrumental in several initiatives to increase the operating efficiency of San Jacinto College through the passage of a $295 million bond referendum, development of a performance management system for staff and faculty, development of a facility master plan, reaccreditation of the college in November of 2008, assisted in obtaining and implementing an Achieving the Dream grant to help students succeed in college, and assisted with implementation of the college reorganization from three colleges to one college with three campuses.
Brenda is married to Rusty, and they have three children and two grandchildren. Her free time is focused on family, friends, travel, and bike riding plus she hopes to get back to piano lessons soon.
