STLCC announces new leaders for diversity, information technology
St. Louis Community College has named new leaders for diversity, equity and inclusion and information technology.
D’Andre Braddix, Ed.D. will serve as executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Feng Hou will serve as chief information officer.
D’Andre Braddix, Ed.D.
Braddix has more than 15 years of experience in higher education. In this role, he
is responsible for district-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives and serving as
a liaison to community partners and constituents on an array of diversity issues.
Braddix joined STLCC in July 2022 after serving as dean of students and senior equity officer at University of Missouri-St. Louis. He earned a doctorate in higher education leadership from Capella University. An UMSL alum, he earned a master’s degree in adult and higher education and a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice. Braddix’s community involvement includes serving as vice-chair on the board of directors of Citizens for Modern Transit.
“I am excited and honored for the opportunity to enhance and expand the current diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at STLCC. As this work is not done in isolation, I look forward to working collaboratively with all members of our community to promote inclusive excellence across the College,” said Braddix.
“For students, community colleges play an extremely important role in expanding educational access, especially for some of the most vulnerable student populations such as low-income, first-generation and individuals of color. For the community at large, community colleges play a critical role in workforce development, vocational training and regional economic development.”
Feng Hou
Hou has more than 20 years of leadership and digital transformation experience. He
is a leading national digital transformation expert in higher education and information
technology. At STLCC, he is responsible for district-wide information technology infrastructure
with an emphasis on academic support initiatives, student support services, education
and training.
Hou joined STLCC in June 2022. Most recently, he was chief digital transformation evangelist at Maryville University. His experience includes chief information officer and chief learning officer at Central New Mexico Community College, and chief information officer at State College of Florida.
He earned a Master of Science in educational technology from Virginia Tech and attended Harvard Institute for Educational Management for senior higher education executives.
Currently, Hou is the educational vertical chair of Blockchain Chamber of Commerce, co-chair of Sovrin Ecosystem Governance Framework Taskforce, and is the founding Chair of Education (Blockchain) Architecture Special Interest Group at Hyperledger Community under Linux Foundation, and co-founder of Albuquerque Blockchain Alliance.
“As the new CIO, I’ll work with our IT team to provide the best technology services that our students, faculty and staff deserve. I’ll also leverage my experience in digital transformation to create the best digital experiences for our students to be successful,” said Hou.
“Community college has become the learning portal that helps launch young learners to the real world, either for jobs or more advanced study. We are also offering professional and lifelong learners the best learning opportunities that can help them with their career advancement and life enrichment.”
“D’Andre Braddix and Feng Hou both have extensive knowledge and expertise that will benefit the College and the people and communities we serve. I look forward to the positive impact they will have to influence the experiences of our students, staff and the community,” said Chancellor Jeff L. Pittman, Ph.D.