About the Chancellor

Dr. Richard Carpenter serves as Chancellor of the Lone Star College System, recognized nationally and ranked #1 by the Houston Business Journal as the largest College in the Houston Metro area with 80,000 credit students, 25,000 on-line students, and 16,000 non-credit students. The Lone Star College System is one of the largest producers of associate degrees in the country, ranked among the top 10 colleges nationwide.

Dr. Carpenter began his executive career as President of Somerset Community College in Kentucky at the age of 29 as the youngest college president in the country. With his visionary and aggressive leadership skills in education, economic and workforce development, and fundraising, Dr. Carpenter was subsequently recruited to college presidencies in the states of Minnesota, California, and Alabama, before serving as President and CEO of the 16-college Wisconsin State Community and Technical College System enrolling over 400,000 students with a $1 billion annual budget. Prior to moving to Texas, he served as State Director for Nevada’s Community Colleges and President of the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas.

Dr. Carpenter has served as a nationally elected Board Member of the American Association of Community Colleges, on the Board of the Nevada Economic Development Authority, and on the State Workforce Investment Board in three states. He has served as Chair of the AACC Commission on Global Education, Chair of the Presidents Advisory Group to the American Association of Community College Trustees, a Mentor for the American Council on Education Fellows Program and as a member of the Global Education Committee of the American Council on Education. He also served on the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Commission, as a Commissioner for the Midwest Higher Education Commission, a member of the Governor’s Cabinet (Wisconsin), Co-Chair of the Governor’s Statewide Healthcare Taskforce (Wisconsin), Co-Chair of the State PK-16 Council (Wisconsin), Advisor for The College Board (New York) and a Delegate for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for 20 years.

Dr. Carpenter currently serves as Board Chair for CCID (Community Colleges for International Development), as Co-Chair of the Higher Education Committee with the Greater Houston Partnership, and as Chair-Elect for the Texas Association of Community Colleges.

He received his Associates Degree from Southwest Mississippi Community College, B.A and Masters from Northwestern University, and his Doctorate in college leadership from North Carolina State University.