Kathy Hendrick joins Grayson College
Grayson College recently welcomed several new employees, including Kathy Hendrick who will serve as the Director of Development at the Grayson College Foundation.
Hendrick has over 20 years of experience in fundraising, community and economic development in Texas and Oklahoma. Prior to her current position, she served twelve years as the Director of the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Center for Regional Competitiveness (CRC).
"We are excited to have Kathy at the Grayson College Foundation," said Dr. Jeremy McMillen, President of Grayson College. "We are certain that her experience and energy will help to advance the mission and vision of the college and will positively impact our teams' efforts going forward."
She serves on the boards of directors for Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Economic Development Council, Team Durant, Oklahoma Southeast, Southern Workforce Board, Durant Main Street, Oklahoma Main Street Advisory Board, and was a member of the International, Southern, and Oklahoma Economic Development Councils.
Through her work at the CRC, Hendrick was one of the founding partners in the Texoma Regional Consortium, which is a two state (Texas and Oklahoma) regional organization that brings together economic developers, workforce representatives, higher education, business/industry, and tribal nations. The group has received numerous regional and international awards for their cross-border initiatives. She also wrote and was awarded and Economic Development Administration University Center grant.
Hendrick served as the Business Development Director for the City of Denison for 7 years. As manager of the Denison Main Street program, the Main Street's occupancy grew to a 95 percent occupancy rate, an increase of 55 percent during her tenure. Over $8.8 million was reinvested in Downtown Denison.
In addition to Main Street, she recruited retail and commercial investment citywide. She worked with retail and commercial consultants to bring new business to Denison. Ms. Hendrick has assisted many businesses in relocating to Denison by arranging site visits, creating incentive packages, and managing deal negotiations.
Hendrick previously served with the now named Governor's Office Department of Economic Development in the Economic Development Division as the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center Marketing Manager. She also worked in the Tourism Division as Product Development Specialist leading tourism and community development workshops throughout the state. During her stint at TDED, she served on the Texas Historical Commission's interagency council that reviews applications for cities to be a certified Main Street Program.
Prior to moving to Austin, Hendrick was the Main Street Director in Odessa. Before starting her economic development career, Hendrick served as the Director of Institutional Advancement and Public Affairs for the Texas Tech University Regional Health Sciences Center in Odessa, Texas and was the editor for the Texas Rural Health Journal during her tenure with the Center.
She graduated with her Bachelor's in Business Administration from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas and received a Master's in Business Administration from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant, Oklahoma.
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