Colleen Altaffer Smith
The Collin College board of trustees named Colleen Altaffer Smith as interim president at a meeting Tuesday night.
The move follows the resignation of Cary Israel, who said he wants to spend more time with his family and explore new challenges. Israel has led the college for 15 years and overseen the growth of the student population to 52,000.
Smith joined Collin College in 2010 as district senior vice president of academic affairs and student development. Before that, she was president at Cisco College, which is about 140 miles west of Dallas. The interim president has more than 30 years of experience in teaching and administration.
Smith will assume her new role Nov. 10.
The board plans a national search to look for a permanent replacement to Israel.