Justin Lonon, native of Mountain Home, chancellor of Dallas College


At Mountain Home, Justin Lonon was an average high school student. It is a fact that he will admit if you ask him.

Although Lonon may have been an average student, he did not live an average life. His career has taken him across the country, from Dallas to the White House.

For the past 15 years, he served at Dallas College in Texas as interim president of its Brookhaven campus before becoming vice-chancellor of the community college.

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In June, he was chosen to replace Joe May as chancellor of the college after May’s retirement in August 2022.

“Dr. Justin Lonon is a passionate advocate for the students and employees of Dallas College and has been a driving force in strengthening our institution. He truly believes in our mission to transform lives and communities through higher education, and that belief shines through in everything he does, ”said Monica Lira Bravo, Dallas College Board Chair.

A fifth-generation mountain homer, Lonon has deep roots in Baxter County.

Born to Katie Risk and Roger Lonon, Justin spent less time reading books in school and more time learning to socialize with his classmates.

“I was an average student,” Lonon said. “One of my teachers told my parents at a parent-teacher conference that I could get A’s directly if I didn’t socialize as much. It’s certainly ironic that my career path has taken the one he has.

When not socializing in class, Lonon was busy showing horses for competitions and volunteering in local elections for Arkansas State Senator Vada Sheid.

A photo of Justin Lonon riding a horse as a young boy.

“I kind of had that passion for public service,” Lonon said. “I had the opportunity to volunteer in local political campaigns at the time. To volunteer and do stuff. And so, I had a taste and interest in public service at a pretty early age.

Lonon’s passion for public service will continue as he left high school, attending what is now Missouri, majoring in public administration.

Justin Lonon and his family at the White House.  Lonon was a legislative attorney for Dallas College before becoming vice-chancellor.

After graduating from college for the first time, Lonon interned with former Arkansas Governor and Senator Dale Bumpers. Bumpers was the 38th Governor of Arkansas and a staunch member of the Democratic Party until his death in January 2016.

“This internship has been great for a number of reasons,” said Lonon. “One is that you can be around this public service icon and have the opportunity to spend time with him. And to see how he served and interacted with his constituents. “

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Lonon said his time with Bumpers gave him a great sense of accomplishment. While working for the Senator, Lonon was able to help veterans get help through the Department of Veterans Affairs and help seniors get their Social Security.

The internship also fueled a need for graduate study, which led him to pursue his masters at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he would meet his wife, Tanya.

Lonon’s stay in Little Rock quickly turned into a new internship in Dallas, after looking for a job that met the requirements for his master’s degree program.

“So one day I was in the library, and there was a Dallas Morning newspaper there, and I started browsing through the classifieds. Back to where the jobs section was. There was an advertisement. that said ‘graduation internship, mayor’s office, city of Dallas’, and I found that interesting. ”

Lonon’s original plan was to return to Arkansas after the internship, but his plan changed after Ron Kirk, former mayor of Dallas, Texas, asked him to remain his press secretary despite his lack of journalism experience.

Justin Lonon (center), Tanya Lonon (right), Karissa Lonon (left), Katie Risk (far left) and Mike Risk (far right) pose for a photo at the National Mall in Washington, DC.  Lonon served as Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk's press secretary before moving on to education.

“When he offered me the job, I told him I didn’t have a journalism background,” Lonon said. “He said,” It’s about relationships, and you clearly know how to handle relationships and work with the town hall press office. “”

He helped Kirk advance several important development projects like the Trinity River Project, which aimed to build a system of parks along the river and build the American Airlines Center.

In 2002, Kirk retired as mayor of Dallas and began a race for the US Senate with Lonon serving as his campaign spokesperson. Then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn would beat Kirk.

After the loss, Lonon spent three years in the private sector before joining Dallas College as a legislative advocate in 2005.

Justin Lonon takes a photo during a graduation ceremony at Dallas College.

“When I got the first call about creating the job, I said no,” Lonon said. “I was good. I liked my job; I liked my clients. I liked doing the work that I was doing. But after deepening them, I thought it would be a really cool opportunity to represent them. community college students and advocate for them.

In 2014, Lonon made his way to the post of vice-chancellor of Dallas College, while earning his doctorate in management from the University of Maryland – Global Campus.

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As Vice Chancellor, he helped supervise the school’s 160,000 students while helping them gain access to free passes on the Dallas area transit system. He has also worked with local food banks to ensure students receive food assistance when needed, a reminder to the Mountain Home Food Bank in North Central Arkansas.

A photo of the Lonon family during Karissa Lonon's Senior presentation.

“What impresses me is that they reached out to underserved people,” said Mike Risk, Lonon’s stepfather. “They were making arrangements for homeless students. For children who do not have Internet service who do not have computer services. Be inclusive and expand the network to attract more people. I am very proud of his efforts in this regard.

Lonon’s most recent event in college was attending the seven separate ceremonies for the school’s 11,000 graduates for the spring semester. Lonon said the smiling faces of all the parents and students that day reminded him of the importance of family, including his own.

Lonon’s daughter Karissa is now on her way to college while attending Baylor University after passing the SAT with a perfect score of 1600.

“I give Tanya credit for this. She was a much better student than I was, ”said Lonon. “Tanya and Karissa are the reason I do everything I do. They are the lights of my life, and I’m so blessed because of them.

About Mark A. Tomlin

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