Executive Team
The Executive Team collectively oversee all management and operations of Tallahassee State College through thoughtful collaboration and a focus on supporting the learning experience of students, the employee experience of faculty and staff, and the partnership experience with our community stakeholders. The team works directly with the President and each other to facilitate decision-making and ongoing communication.
Vice President for Workforce DevelopmentShelly Bell[email protected](850) 201-8760 |
Shelly Bell is a dedicated educator with an extensive 23-year career in public education. Her passion for empowering students and fostering workforce and college readiness has been the driving force behind her professional achievements. Shelly was appointed Vice President for Workforce Development at Tallahassee State College in 2023. Prior to joining TSC, Shelly was director of Lively Technical College, where she oversaw the post-secondary and secondary career technical education programs for Leon County Schools. Under Shelly's leadership, LTC experienced remarkable growth, with enrollment surging by 33 percent between 2017 and 2023. In the same timeframe, she tripled the number of students participating in career dual enrollment and spearheaded the establishment of the Success for Occupational Area Readiness (SOAR) Program in 2021, a pioneering initiative that provides post-secondary educational opportunities specifically tailored to individuals with intellectual disabilities. In partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation, Shelly also introduced the innovative Lively Paratransit Instructional Program (LPIP), offering state-of-the-art, industry-level training to para transit technicians throughout Florida. Prior to Lively Technical College, Shelly served as principal of Amos P. Godby High School from 2012 to 2017, where she played a pivotal role in expanding workforce education opportunities. At Godby, she spearheaded the development of engineering, aviation, and certified nursing assistant career programs. Shelly's commitment to broadening career options extended beyond Godby, as she collaborated with K-12 schools to also introduce welding programs at Rickards High School; an automotive program at Lincoln High School; and nursing programs at Chiles, Rickards, and SAIL High Schools. In addition, Shelly developed strong relationships with local businesses and organizations to identify current and future workforce needs and successfully established training opportunities designed to cultivate the necessary talent pool. Shelly's teaching journey began in 1999 at Belle Vue Middle School. Recognizing her leadership potential, Shelly transitioned to school administration in 2003, assuming the role of assistant principal at Wesson Elementary School. Shelly served as principal at the Academy of Academics and Technology in 2007, and in 2008, she took on the role of principal at Elizabeth Cobb Middle School. Shelly earned a bachelor’s degree in English education in 1999 and later completed a master’s degree in educational leadership in 2002, both from Florida State University. Beyond her professional achievements, Shelly and her husband, Ricky, are the parents of two sons, Parker and Taylor. |
Vice President for Information TechnologyJason Fowler |
After graduating from Liberty County High School in 1996, he enrolled at then Tallahassee Community College and immediately started working as a work-study student. He was the College's first enrollment call center employee, balancing his responsibilities while pursuing his Associate in Arts degree, which he completed in 1998. He then earned a B.S. in Communications from Florida State University in 2000 and later a master's degree in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education in 2011. Jason expanded his professional expertise by working with the Liberty County School District from 2005 to 2013. During this time, he served in various roles, including Guidance and Business Education instructor and later as the Coordinator of Technology, Alternative Education, and Special Programs. In 2013, Jason returned to the College to work in Information Technology. His dedication and expertise led him to serve as a Network Technician and then as the Director of IT Infrastructure, where he played a pivotal role in advancing the college's technological capabilities. His efforts in updating infrastructure systems played a large role in the College's ability to transition to a fully remote learning environment in just a week during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Jason and his wife, Mandie, are proud TSC alumni. Their two children, Eric and Sally, dual enrolled at TCC during high school. Eric graduated from the College with an AA in 2017 and later attended the Florida Public Safety Institute where he earned a Law Enforcement Certification and graduated the Florida Fish and Wildlife Academy the in 2018. Sally earned her degree as a Registered Nurse in 2021. The academic paths of both Eric and Sally were supported by the College's tuition waiver benefit program, continuing the family tradition of education at TSC. |
Vice President for Communications/Chief of StaffCandice Grause |
Candice Grause is Vice President for Communications and Chief of Staff at Tallahassee State College. She provides oversight for all of the college’s public relations, internal and external communications, marketing, creative branding services, including videography, photography, and design, and public website management. In addition, she works closely with the President to help plan, direct, and execute College-wide initiatives and community and government relations as Chief of Staff. Candice first joined the College in 2010 in the Office of Communications and Marketing. Serving in progressively responsible roles, she was named co-lead of the College’s public website redesign project, helped oversee the College’s expansion of its digital marketing and social media efforts, and assisted the Office of the President as a communications liaison. In 2018 she was selected to serve as Chief of Staff, joining the College’s Executive Team, and spearheading special projects on behalf of the President such as Hurricane Michael recovery and Prosperity 32304. In May 2022 she was appointed as Vice President for Communications. Prior to her time at TSC, Candice worked in the private sector in insurance and risk management. Among Candice's honors and distinctions, she received an Eagle Award for her service at TSC, and a Rising Star Award by the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) recognizing leadership as a communications professional at a two-year community or technical college. She currently serves as a member of the Choose Tallahassee Board of Directors and the Tallahassee-Leon County Bicentennial Steering Committee. In addition to being a TSC alum, Candice earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Florida State University, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Central Florida. |
Vice President for Institutional Advancement/Executive Director of the TSC FoundationHeather Mitchell[email protected](850) 201-6067 |
Heather currently serves as the Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Tallahassee State College and Executive Director of the TSC Foundation - a role she has held since February 2015. During her time at TSC, Heather successfully launched a $10M comprehensive campaign to provide resources for six key areas of the College. The campaign was concluded after one year, and raised over $14.5M. It also garnered the College’s two largest gifts in its history. She is also the creator of the popular Cleaver and Cork event series, entering its 8th year in our community, and the creation of a new event – Rock the Roost featuring Luke Bryan. Both are fundraisers for TSC. Heather previously served as President & CEO of United Way of the Big Bend, where she led a team to create annual multi-million dollar campaigns to support health and human services in Florida’s Big Bend area. During her almost 10 years at United Way, she led fundraising efforts that provided over $65M in resources. During her tenure, she also led efforts to establish a new innovative homeless shelter that has become a model for other communities. Heather is a proud graduate of Chipola College and Florida State University and has served on a variety of local boards, including Goodwood Museum & Gardens, Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend, FSU’s Opening Nights Board, the Big Bend Continuum of Care for Homelessness, Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, The Tallahassee Economic Development Council, Leadership Tallahassee and Junior League of Tallahassee. She and her husband, Mark, have been married for 27+ years and have two daughters, Jaynie (24) and Elise (18). |
Vice President for Student AffairsDr. Sheri Rowland[email protected](850) 201-8490 |
Sheri served over three years in the University of Georgia system, working at an institution in the midst of consolidation and a SACSCOC-level change. She served as the Vice President for Enrollment Management and the Assistant Provost for Student Success until the spring of 2016. |
Provost/Vice President for Academic AffairsDr. Calandra Stringer |
Calandra previously held the position of Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs as well as Dean for Curriculum and Instruction at TSC. In that role, she led the institution to be recognized for textbook affordability in the use of Open Education Resources (OER) which saved students approximately $250,000 in textbook costs within one semester of faculty adopting OER. With her student-center approach to leadership, she also developed TSC’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Center, which increased the number of minority students majoring in STEM and transferring to a university by 25%. She is currently developing a STEM collegiate high school that will simultaneously award A.S. STEM degrees and high school diplomas. Calandra holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from Florida State University, an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Central Florida, and a B.S. in Mathematics from Paine College. She was mathematics faculty for several years, as well as a middle school math teacher. She is a first-generation college graduate who is enthusiastic and focused on student success and believes in meeting students where they are and helping them rise to the next level. |
Vice President for Institutional EffectivenessDr. Lei Wang |
Prior to 2012, Lei was Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. During that time, she built the University’s first integrated planning, research, and effectiveness office. Lei instituted a comprehensive program review process that enabled the institution to identify those programs that epitomize the institution’s mission and define its distinctiveness in the marketplace. She chaired Institutional Effectiveness Committee and co-chaired (with the executive vice president) the Institutional Planning Committee. Lei presented several of her research studies at the Association of Institutional Research. From 1993 to 2004 Lei was a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Research in Educational Policy at The University of Memphis, a center of excellence in the state of Tennessee. During that time, the Center received several collaborative grants with Johns Hopkins University from the U.S. Department of Education. Lei has published a number of book chapters, articles in scholarly journals and reports. The U.S. Department of Education and the State of Tennessee have used a number of her reports. She is listed in the Policy Expert Guide, and regularly servers on review committees for the Southern Association of School and College Commission on Colleges. Lei received her doctoral degree from the University of Memphis. She is a specialist in curriculum and instruction. She is also trained in the areas of statistics and educational research. |
Chief Business Officer/Vice President for Administrative ServicesDr. Barbara Wills |
Barbara recently completed the League for Innovation’s Executive Leadership Institute and the American Association of Community Colleges’ Future Presidents Institute. Prior to coming to TSC, Barbara was Assistant Superintendent at Leon County Schools for ten years; managing a $434 million budget, and lead all business operations for the 33,000-student district. Barbara developed the district’s strategic plan and led the District Advisory Council (parents and teachers) and the Business Advisory Council (local community and business leaders). Barbara developed the governance, finance, leadership, and administration plans for the first-ever district-wide accreditation. Preceding the school district, she was Director of the Center for Education Research and Policy Studies at Florida State University. She managed million-dollar grants with research faculty from many disciplines aligned to research educational outcomes. Her last grant award was a 5-year, $10 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences. Notable community service has included Board of Directors of United Way of the Big Bend and Education Council Chair; delegate for Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce; Envision Credit Union Supervisory Committee; Leadership Tallahassee; Leadership Florida; and Executive Board for the Big Bend Continuum of Care. Barbara was recognized as one of Tallahassee’s 25 Women You Need to Know in 2014. Barbara has a Bachelors in Political Science; Master’s in Public Administration and Policy; Certificate in Public Management; and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Florida State University. She is happily married and the proud mother of four; the oldest of which now attends Tallahassee State College. |
Jason Fowler brings a wealth of experience in secondary and post-secondary education to his role as Vice President for Information Technology. His journey with the College began in 1994 as a first-generation college student taking dual enrollment classes, a step that would lay the foundation for a lifelong commitment to education and technology.-170x213.png)
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Heather Mitchell has worked in the field of resource development for 25+ years serving in a variety of roles for non-profits in the arts, health and human services, K-12 education and higher education. She has a proven track record of success in creating successful campaigns that create awareness as well as provide resources and funds. -170x213.png)
Dr. Sheri L. Rowland is a seasoned higher education professional in the areas of enrollment and student affairs with more than 27 years of experience. Her core competencies include enrollment management, student services, research, and project management. Her experience includes over 23 years in the Florida College System in a variety of positions. Accomplishments include 2019-2020 Aspen Presidential Fellow, 2019 Certified Pathways Coach, and previous NISOD Excellence Award recipient for her work in student affairs.-170x213.png)
Dr. Calandra Stringer has dedicated her career in higher education to advancing the mission of community colleges. With more than 19 years in higher education, she currently serves as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Tallahassee State College. As the Chief Academic Officer, she provides leadership for all academic programs, faculty, and academic service areas encompassing associate and baccalaureate degrees and certificate programs.-170x213.png)
Dr. Lei Wang is the Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness at Tallahassee State College. She joined TSC in 2012.
Dr. Barbara Wills is the Vice President of Administrative Services and Chief Business Officer at Tallahassee State College. Under her direction, the College has lowered the financial aid default rate by nearly 10%, reduced personnel costs in her departments by $500,000; developed a health insurance cost-sharing model and successfully negotiated it with the Faculty bargaining unit; revised the College purchasing card program to gain rebates now at $35,000/year; and funded initiatives in critical academic areas.