Brandon Whatley Ed.D.
After a career as a professional welder, Brandon began his community college tenure in 2002 as a department head for the Welding Technology department at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell (ENMU-R). In 2009, Brandon was hired as the Department Chair for the Welding Technology program at ACC and served as the interim Dean for the Applied Technologies, Multimedia, & Public Services Division from 2015-2017 prior to ACC’s Guided Pathways reorganization.
In 2017, Brandon was hired as the Dean for the Design, Manufacturing, Construction, and Applied Technologies division, serving in this role until July of 2023.
Prior to returning to ACC, Brandon was hired as the Vice President for Learning at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico. There he led the college through several initiatives including Higher Learning Commission Re Accreditation and moving the institution’s corequisite pairings in gateway courses to scale.
Brandon holds an AAS in Welding Technology from Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell, a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Education from Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU), a Master’s degree in Professional Technical Education from ENMU, and a doctorate in Leadership and Learning In Organizations from Vanderbilt.
As a nontraditional first generation community college graduate, Brandon is a dedicated believer in the opportunities created for students in Professional Technical fields. He maintains a student’s potential at a community college or beyond is often not realized by that individual until we as instructional staff and/or support staff demonstrate confidence in that potential. Recognizing those capabilities enhances a student’s will to find their “Pathway” toward a successful career or continued education that leads to a successful career. Brandon strives to model two central principles in his leadership style based on the “We and the Why.” We are at our best when we work together since it is rare to accomplish anything of significance alone, and we should always stay focussed on who we are trying to help and what we are trying to accomplish as our “why” for moving forward.
Contact Information:
Brandon Whatley Ed.D.
AVC of Workforce Education
512-223-7639
bwhatley@austincc.edu
Todd Johnson
Executive Assistant of Workforce Education
512-223-7639
tjohnso7@austincc.edu
Workforce Education Deans
Don Tracy, Interim Dean of Continuing Education
Contact Info: dtracy@austincc.edu, 512-223-7822
- Senior Administrative Assistant: Position Open
Dr. Giao Phan, Dean of Public & Social Services, Education
Contact Info: gphan@austincc.edu, 512-223-1670
- Senior Administrative Assistant: Melissa Brown, mbrown@austincc.edu, 512-223-1674
Dr. Laura Mamolejo, Dean of Advanced Manufacturing
Contact Info: lmarmole@austincc.edu, 512-223-0131
- Senior Administrative Assistant: Position Open
Dr. Lorlie Braxton, Dean of Business, Culinary, Hospitality & Tourism
Contact Info: lorlie.braxton@austincc.edu, 512-223-4114
- Senior Administrative Assistant: Leslie Saldana, leslies@austincc.edu, 512-223-4115
Perry Crafton, Dean of Arts and Digital Media
Contact Info: wcrafton@austincc.edu, 512-223-7188
- Senior Administrative Assistant: Sangeetha Krishnan, sangeetha.krishnan@austincc.edu, 512-223-4115
Troy DeFrates, Interim Dean of Design, Manufacturing, Construction & Applied Technologies
Contact Info: tdefrate@austincc.edu, 512-223-6085
- Senior Administrative Assistant: Marilyn Salas, msalas@austincc.edu, 512-223-6085
Venancio Ybarra, Dean of Computer Science & Information Technology
Contact Info: venancio.ybarra@austincc.edu, 512-223-6761
- Senior Administrative Assistant: Espinosha Williams, espinosha.williams@austincc.edu, 512-223-7565