Three Rivers - Board of Trustees

The governing power of Three Rivers 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.

Since 2008		Wilbur Thornton, Chairman 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 retired in 2009 as 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.

Since 2008		Randy Winston, Vice-Chairman Randy Winston has devoted his professional career to public education in Southeast Missouri. An alumnus of Three Rivers, Mr. Winston received an associate 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.

Since 2009		Darren Garrison, Secretary Darren Garrison has sat on the Three Rivers President's Advisory Council for five years and has served on the Presidential Search Committees for previous Three Rivers administrations. Currently serving Wayne County as Circuit Clerk, Mr. Garrison is a graduate of Clearwater High School and holds an Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration from Three Rivers, where he played basketball for Coach Gene Bess. Mr. Garrison also holds a BS in Accounting from Arkansas College. He resides in rural Piedmont with his wife, Lori, also a Three Rivers graduate, and their two daughters. Mr. Garrison stays active within his community, and is a youth coach for the Parks Department, and a member of the Rotary Club and Patterson Baptist Church.

Since 2009		Randy Grassham, Treasurer 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. He was then elected to the board in 2010. 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 10 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.

Since 2006		Marion Tibbs, Trustee 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.

Since 2009		Phil Davis, Trustee Phil Davis is a member of the Ripley County Chamber of Commerce and has previously served Three Rivers through the Presidential Search Committee. A member of the National Federation of Independent Businessmen, Mr. Davis has owned and operated Davis TrueValue in Doniphan for over 30 years. Mr. Davis graduated from Doniphan R-I High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Southeast Missouri State University. His wife, Carol, who attended Three Rivers evening classes to further her education, recently retired from Doniphan schools after 32 years of teaching. They have three children: Alicia, Greg, and Morgan, who attended Three Rivers and played for the women's basketball team as an Academic All-American.