Veronique Tran, Ph.D.

Dr. Veronique V. Tran serves as the Vice President of Instruction at Lee College in Texas, providing leadership over all aspects of academic and technical program quality and development, learning support services, retention and transition services, and institutional research and effectiveness.

Dr. Tran immigrated with her family through the refugee program at the end of the Vietnam War. She began her first-generation college journey at North Harris Community College and received her B.S. in chemical engineering in 1991 from the University of Houston (UH). She worked as an engineer for Shell Western Exploration & Production before returning to graduate school to pursue her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (BME) and conduct research in cellular engineering in the Joint Program in BME at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and UT Arlington. Upon completion of her postdoctoral research fellowship in drug delivery at Yale University, Dr. Tran returned to her alma mater to help build the BME Program at UH as a founding faculty member. She joined Rice university as the executive director of departmental advancement in bioengineering. In 2007, Dr. Tran returned to UH as the director of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) focused on undergraduate discovery, coordinator of the Tier One Scholars Program, and Fulbright advisor while serving as a change management consultant to public and private universities seeking guidance on their SACSCOC QEP planning process.

Answering a higher calling to open doors of opportunity for all students, Dr. Tran transitioned to community college leadership in 2014 as the founding dean of math and sciences at Lone Star College – University Park. There she led the division to record enrollment growth, facilitated innovative use of technology in teaching, and led the design team for the $15 million Center for Science and Innovation. At Lee College, Dr. Tran is currently leading guided pathways implementation, expansion of distance education, and data-informed development of programs to assist students in their progress and transition to transfer or employment. As a servant leader, Dr. Tran leads by empowering others—she supports development of faculty and staff and encourages innovation. A longtime advocate for women in STEM, Dr. Tran is an invited speaker and hosts hands-on activities for middle and high school students.

Dr. Tran resides in Texas City with her husband, Tim, where they are discovering the joys of coastal living with their two sons. Hiep completed his associate’s degree at Lee College and transferred to the University of Texas at Dallas. Liem will be attending Lee College and the University of Houston.