UPSTATE — Tom Lawrence spent the last five years as an instructor and administrator in the Business and Public Services Division (BPS) at Tri-County Technical College. He began his career in public administration, working 15 years in multiple roles with local California governments and the Department of Defense, but says his tenure at Tri-County has been the most rewarding. “I really enjoy my time in the classroom. I came from public service which I like but landing here was a defining moment in my career,” he said.

After one year as an instructor in the Criminal Justice program, he was promoted to lead the Public Services Department, a multi-disciplinary department comprised of Media Arts, Criminal Justice and Early Childhood Education. “As I took on administrative duties for the division, I was energized by positive changes in the classroom and on a broader scale by the diverse programs in the BPS division,” he said.

This semester he takes on a new challenge — in December he was named Dean of the Arts and Sciences Division.

As BPS department head, Lawrence says he invested time building relationships with faculty and students and focused on bringing people together to find solutions.

He holds a B.A. in management from St. Mary’s College of California and a master of criminal justice degree from Boston University. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in leadership and organizational management at Indiana Tech. He has published on the need for organizations to develop global communication strategies and recently presented to an international conference on the complex intra-political and leadership issues attendant with U.S. foreign policy.

His contributions to the community include service on the faculty senate, appointment to the SACSCOC reaccreditation leadership team and development of several new degree and certificate programs.