At the Regional Sites

Welcome to New Director Celia Merrill

By Jessica Thomas, Section Manager

Texas Tech University welcomes Celia Merrill, Ph.D., as the regional site director for Texas Tech at Highland Lakes and Texas Tech at Fredericksburg.

At both locations, Merrill will lead the staff, many of whom also share their time supporting both campuses.

Merrill brings a combination of higher education teaching experience and consulting work that focuses on community collaboration among public and private sector stakeholders to address education, workforce, and economic development needs. Merrill also serves as a member of the Marble Falls City Council.

"I'm really excited," she explained. "The programs offered here by Texas Tech provide an incredible resource for both communities."

In partnership with Central Texas College, TTU at Highland Lakes offers a teacher certification program, a number of degree programs and a certification program for superintendent professionals.

The Hill Country University Center in Fredericksburg offers a technology-driven classroom environment that enables TTU at Fredericksburg to offer a range of degrees along with professional certificates in viticulture and enology.

By engaging with local communication networks, her goal is to make these resources more visible to better support the community.

"I appreciate the opportunity to partner with the businesses, educational partners, government entities, and nonprofit organizations in our communities to meet their workforce needs," Merrill said.

She also highlights the opportunity to work with an exceptional staff and adjunct faculty.

"Working together we can provide programs and courses that meet the degree goals of primary non-traditional, working students here in the Hill Country of Central Texas."

Prior to coming to Texas Tech, Merrill most recently served as the academic chair for Humanities and taught dual credit English classes at Faith Academy of Marble Falls.

Outside of work Merrill enjoys reading, gardening, and hiking with her dog and her grown sons when they are together.