Austin College Professor Named to Tech Hub Executive Board
Dr. David Griffith, Austin College business professor and Director of Strategic Programs, has been appointed to the Executive Board of the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub (TSTH). TSTH is a 41-member consortium of geographically connected public, private, and academic partners designated by the United State Economic Development Administration (EDA) to increase global competitiveness in semiconductor and technology industries.
The TSTH Executive Board provides strategic direction for developing and implementing collaborative, grant-funded projects focused on industry innovation, supply chain resilience, and workforce development in the North Texas and Southern Oklahoma region.
“As a Texoma native son, I am honored to represent the people, businesses, and education providers of the region on the TSTH Executive Board,” Griffith said. “This Tech Hub designation represents a transformative opportunity for the economic fortunes of the region. My goal on the board is to ensure that every student in North Texas and Southern Oklahoma has the opportunity to develop the skills they need to find good jobs at home here in Texoma.”
Austin College was selected to lead the TSTH Subproject for Texoma Workforce Development centered around the Sherman-based semiconductor corridor. Other local TSTH members are Texas Instruments, Coherent, Global Wafers, Grayson College, Workforce Texoma, Sherman Economic Development Corporation, Texoma Council of Governments, and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The project will promote opportunities for K-12 students and adult learners to enter the workforce at the technician, operator, and engineer/scientist level, and provide greater access to degrees and certifications to advance careers in the semiconductor industry.
In addition to Tech Hub designation, TSTH was one of 11 applicants that also won a Strategy Development Grant in Phase I of the EDA’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs competition. The group has qualified to compete for up to $75 million in additional funding through the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law in August 2022.
Additional local partners supporting Tech Hub initiatives currently include Sherman, Denison, Gainesville and Bonham school districts, and economic development offices in Denison, Bonham, and Gainesville. Southern Oklahoma Development Assoc. and North Central Texas College are also participants. Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas is designated as the lead agency for the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub.
Austin College is a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, in one of the fastest growing regions of the state and in the heart of the flourishing North Texas technology corridor. The College has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, global awareness, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. Founded in 1849, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.
- Faculty
- TSTH
- Texoma