Three Rivers College :: About Three Rivers College

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The governing power of Three Rivers College is vested in a six-member Board of Trustees elected by the voters of the college district. The term of office is six years and the terms are staggered so that two positions are up for re-election in even years.

The college district is divided into four sub-districts which elect the trustees. The sub-district boundaries are aligned by school district, but basically follow county boundaries. Based on population, there is one member of the board from each of Carter, Ripley, and Wayne counties and three members from Butler county.

Board Meeting Minutes
(Minutes are in PDF format)

July 2009
August 2009
Tax Levy Hearing 2009
September 2009
Agenda - Meeting,10-29-00


First elected in 1992	Bill Hollida Board Chair Bill Hollida has been involved in civic efforts in Wayne County for five decades. A Silva cattle farmer and professional auctioneer, Mr. Hollida was first elected to the Three Rivers Board of Trustees in April 1992. Mr. Hollida was a member of the Board of Education for the Greenville Public Schools in the 1960s and is one of the founders of the People's Community Bank in Greenville. He is an active member of the Patterson Baptist Church and does auctions in the area for families in distress and other worthy causes. He and his wife, Shirley Ann, have one daughter, Martha Hollida Garrett who is an agricultural journalist in Texas, and one son, Hunter Hollida who is a insurance businessman in Greenville and helps run the Hollida family farm in Silva; they also have four grandchildren.
First elected in 2006	Marion Tibbs Board Vice Chair Marion L. Tibbs has roots deep within the Poplar Bluff community. A graduate of Poplar Bluff High School, Mr. Tibbs attended classes at Three Rivers while also starting a family and a career in the community. After graduating from Three Rivers with an Associate of Arts degree, he continued his education at Southeast Missouri State University. Mr. Tibbs was the Advertising and Business Manager of the Daily American Republic in Poplar Bluff and General Manager of American Superstores, also in Poplar Bluff. The voters of Butler County first elected Mr. Tibbs as the Butler County Assessor in 1996, and he is serving his fourth term in office. He is married to Sharon Tibbs, a teacher in the Poplar Bluff Public School system. They have two children, Michelle Bates and Brian Tibbs, and five grandchildren.
First elected in 2008	Wilbur Thornton Board Secretary Wilbur Thornton is known throughout the region as the "Voice of the Raiders" as he broadcasts the Three Rivers Raiders men and women's basketball games on the radio. Mr. Thornton is a graduate of Malden High School and served a number of years on the Malden Board of Education. He is the Senior Operations Manager for the U.S. Postal Service, with oversight of more than 142 post offices in Southeast Missouri. Mr. Thornton is involved with the United Cancer Assistance Network (U-CAN), He and his wife Patti are members of First Baptist Church where he is a part of the Sanctuary Choir and with drama presentations as well as the First Impressions ministry and Upward youth basketball program. Mr. Thornton has two children, Julie Rice and Doug.
First elected in 2008	Randy Winston Board Treasurer Randy Winston has devoted his professional career to public education in Southeast Missouri. An alumnus of Three Rivers, Mr. Winston received an associate's degree from Three Rivers where he was a member of the only Three Rivers baseball team to advance to the JUCO World Series of Baseball. He received a bachelor's degree in physical education from Missouri State University in Springfield and master's degrees in educational leadership and secondary administration from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. He is the retired superintendent of schools with the Poplar Bluff Public Schools, and is a member of the Public Bluff Lion's Club and the Missouri Association of School Administrators. He is married to Jean Winston and has children Heather O'Neal and Jonathan, and stepchildren Victor, Marianne and Laura Collins.
First elected in 2004	Steve Cookson Board Member Steve Cookson is a Three Rivers alumnus who continues to serve the college. Mr. Cookson is a graduate of Advance High School in Stoddard County, where he excelled in basketball. Mr. Cookson attended Three Rivers and played basketball on the first Three Rivers team that travelled to the National Championship and ended the season third in the nation. After graduating from Three Rivers, he went on to earn a bachelor's degree from University of the Ozarks and then master's and specialist's degrees in educational administration from Southeast Missouri State University. He is the superintendent of the Naylor Public Schools. In 2004 the Missouri Association of School Administrators named him Superintendent of the Year. Mr. Cookson is married to Joy Rice Cookson and has one son, Tyler, who is a student at Southern Illinois University School of Law.
Appointed in 2009	Randy Grassham Board Member Randy Grassham was appointed to the Board of Trustees on Feb. 19, 2009 to fill the unexpired term of his father, long-time Trustee James Grassham from Van Buren. Mr. Grassham has worked for 34 years as Parts and Service Manager in the family's business, Grassham Chevrolet in Van Buren. He has served for ten years on the Van Buren City Council and is an active member of the First Baptist Church of Van Buren where he is a member of the Music Department's Praise Worship Team. He has one daughter, Holly Holt, who is the manager of Service Plus in Mt. Grove and one son, Heath Grassham, who is the manager of Grassham Lumber and Hardware in Van Buren.