The Wharton County Junior College Board of Trustees this week appointed Dr. Amanda Allen as the next president of WCJC. Board members joined Allen and her family in a group photograph following Tuesday’s meeting. Pictured, from left, are board member Terry Lynch, board member Jay Roussel, board Vice Chair Dr. Priscilla Metcalf, Board Chair Paul Pope, Luke Honea, Dr. Amanda Allen, Regan Honea, Scott Honea, board Secretary Dr. Bret Macha, board member Dr. Sue Zanne Williamson Urbis and board member Larry Sitka.
WHARTON, TEXAS – El Campo resident Dr. Amanda Allen will be the next president of Wharton County Junior College. The WCJC Board of Trustees on Tuesday officially appointed Allen as the replacement for outgoing President Betty McCrohan, who will retire at the end of August after 24 years of leading the college.
The eight board members participating voted unanimously to approve Allen as their next president and will soon sign the negotiated contract. Allen has worked for WCJC for the past seven years in various roles, most recently as Executive Vice President. She will officially begin her new duties on Sept. 1.
Allen received a standing ovation upon the board’s announcement. She briefly addressed the crowd, becoming emotional as she credited her faith and family for providing her with the support needed for the task ahead. Allen’s husband, Scott Honea, and the couple’s two children, Luke, 14, and Regan, 2, were in attendance.
“First and foremost, I am so grateful for the countless blessings that God has afforded me,” Allen said. “The immense fortune that I have had throughout my life is more than I could have imagined, and, most assuredly, is beyond anything I deserve. I want to recognize my family. Luke and Regan have my whole heart, but not always my whole attention. I am so grateful for every rodeo, baseball game, and now, board meeting that they attend which allows me to marry the best of both of my worlds.”
Allen further thanked President McCrohan for hiring her seven years ago as a vice president. She also thanked the board for their support and trust.
“I will work every day to earn the trust that you have placed in me,” she said. “I am eternally grateful for and humbled by the responsibility that you have bestowed through this appointment.”
WCJC Board of Trustees Chairman Paul Pope said Allen was a natural choice as she possesses a high level of expertise in the challenges faced by community colleges.
“Dr. Allen’s focus on student success, her vision for the future of the college, and her unique understanding of the strengths and challenges confronting WCJC are critical strengths she brings to the job,” Pope said. “Dr. Allen knows not only WCJC’s challenges, but its staff, faculty, facilities, and the different missions and challenges at each of its four campuses. Most importantly, she shares the board’s passion for ensuring WCJC embraces its future in the interest of the community and our students.”
Allen has wide-ranging experience in education, from working with K-12 schools to universities to health science centers. Before coming to WCJC, she worked for the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio as the Director for Assessment & Compliance. Prior to that, she held various positions with the Texas A&M Health Science Center after serving as an academic advisor for Texas A&M University. Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M, a master’s in educational technology from Lamar University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Lamar University.
She has completed professional development programs with the American Association of Community Colleges’ Future Presidents Institute (2021), the League for Innovation in the Community College’s Executive Leadership Institute (2023) and has been named an Aspen Institute’s Rising Presidents Fellow (2025-2026). She has also authored dozens of grants and conducted presentations on a host of educational topics.
At WCJC, Allen has worked on 14 different committees, councils and teams, often serving as chair. These included everything from the Coronavirus Response Task Force to the Houston Guided Pathways Institutional Researchers Committee to the WCJC Website Development Core Team.
She was initially hired by WCJC in 2018 as Vice President of Planning & Institutional Effectiveness. In 2022, she was promoted to Vice President of Strategy, Enrollment Management & Technology. Since 2024, she has served as Executive Vice President.
Board Chairman Pope said Allen has exceeded the college’s expectations time and again.
“The board has had many opportunities to observe Dr. Allen tackling difficult challenges in recent years. These challenges included not only her wide portfolio of responsibilities but also initiatives outside her areas of previous responsibility,” Pope said. “We are confident that Dr. Allen has the experience, expertise and drive necessary to take WCJC to even higher levels of service and performance to the community and students.”
Allen said she fully embraces whatever lies ahead.
“There’s going to be a lot of hard work ahead, tough decisions to be made and difficult conversations to be had,” she said. “But, with the dedication (the college staff) have for our students, the care you show toward one another and the love you have for the college, I look to the future not with trepidation, but with hope, confidence and true excitement for what’s to come.”
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