After 40 years of dedicated service with Dallas College, Dr. Christa Slejko, president of North Lake Campus, will retire at the end of November. Her retirement marks the end of 13 years at the helm of North Lake as interim president since 2011 and as president since 2014. Slejko’s tenure includes an 18-month stint as interim president of Brookhaven Campus.
“Over the years, I’ve appreciated the relationships I’ve developed on campus and across Dallas College and watched many of them develop into meaningful friendships,” Slejko said in an email to the campus.
As a former student and staff member, Slejko brought a unique perspective to Dallas College.
“Having attended summer classes as a Richland student and starting her career as a Professional Support Staff member at our Mountain View Campus, Christa truly is a product of Dallas College,” Dallas College Chancellor Justin Lonon said.
Slejko cited the construction of new Dallas College buildings among her most treasured accomplishments.
“As part of the 2018 Bond Package, we were able to build a permanent home for our construction programs. They had long been in a leased refitted warehouse, and the bond allowed us to design a beautiful 97,000-square-foot building on our Coppel Campus site,” she said. “We worked directly with industry in the design of the spaces and labs so that we are able to teach what is needed for students to be competitive in the work environment. We also made the buildings a ‘teaching’ building, showcasing building systems so the building itself acts as a lab setting.”
Over the years, her dedication to both students and staff earned her a reputation for being approachable and deeply invested in the school’s future. Known for her open-door policy, she was always willing to listen to students’ concerns, offering advice and support whenever needed.
“When I flash back to those years, I think about our amazing athletic teams, especially our basketball team, which has won five championships. I’ve had the privilege of being part of at least four of those wins, and I’ve got the really cool, big rings to show for it,” she said.
Her admiration didn’t stop with athletics. Slejko highlighted the remarkable achievements of the Phi Theta Kappa students, who have consistently competed internationally.
“Year after year, they go up against 1,000 chapters and come home with more awards than they can carry,” she said, beaming at their success.
More recently, construction students at North Lake Campus shined on a national stage, gaining recognition at the SkillsUSA competition.
“Watching them compete and seeing their national recognition—it’s just so cool to be part of that,” she added. “For some of these students, it’s the biggest moment they’ve had so far, and it’s just the beginning.”
She also shared her admiration for her administrative colleagues.
“I would say there was a point in time where I felt like we had accumulated the most incredible whole leadership team. I mean, like, just the most amazing people wanted to be leaders here. And we had this moment in time when you have a whole team that’s helping run the college, and you just think, I can’t believe we’re so lucky.”
Slejko’s years with the college also came with significant challenges. Among them, helping the campus community through the pandemic and overseeing the organization of all the campuses to become Dallas College.
“That was a huge change for our faculty and staff and for our campus community,” she said. “But , I wanted to be here, to be part of that and helping everybody manage the change.”
Slejko also acknowledged the most difficult times of her presidency. That challenge came in 2017 with a campus shooting.
“It was a terrifying and sad situation. You never want something like that to happen anywhere, let alone on your own campus. But we rallied together as a campus family, and that unity helped us move forward. It was an incredibly difficult time for all of us,” she said.
Despite these challenges, the president expressed deep gratitude for the support of the campus community.
“We’ve had a great team here,” they said. “As long as we remember why we’re here—to make a difference for our students—we’ll always find a way to get through whatever comes our way.”
A national search for a new president to lead North Lake Campus is underway.
“In the meantime, we will have plenty of time to celebrate and thank Dr. Slejko for her service before her official last day, Nov. 30, 2024,” Lonon said.
