Trustees Directory

Melissa Skipworth, Board Chair

Position 5: Term ends 2029

1061 Misty Cliff
Dickinson, TX 77539
281-684-9146
mskipworth@com.edu

Melissa Skipworth is a resident of Dickinson, TX and graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Skipworth has been married to Sean Skipworth for nearly 20 years. Their son attends Dickinson ISD.

Skipworth is a seasoned Resource Management professional with over two decades of progressive experience in workforce planning, talent deployment, and strategic staffing across diverse industries including consulting, healthcare IT, and professional services. Currently serving as a Resource Manager for a Human Capital Consulting Firm, Melissa excels in optimizing resource allocation, leading cross-functional initiatives, and driving operational efficiency through data-driven insights and best practices.

Her career is marked by a consistent track record of enhancing organizational effectiveness through innovative resource strategies, CRM training development, and global team collaboration. Melissa has led key initiatives such as the GTKYT (Getting to Know Your Talent) program and the development of RM University, showcasing her commitment to professional development and organizational maturity.

Melissa’s expertise spans across major firms including Deloitte, Grant Thornton, and IBM, where she has successfully managed large-scale staffing operations, resolved complex scheduling conflicts, and supported performance management processes. Her technical proficiency includes tools such as Salesforce, Power BI, and a range of applicant tracking systems, reinforcing her ability to integrate technology with human capital strategies.

Skipworth first became involved with COM after moving to Dickinson in 2013. She believes community colleges are as important as university institutions, especially as tuition increases and the demand for employees with degrees increases.

“College of the Mainland has provided countless students with the opportunity to receive a first class education and enter the workforce with the skills they need to succeed,” said Skipworth, “I want COM to be the people’s first choice to work or to go to college. Great things happen at COM every day. We have high-quality staff and quality who care about students. We’re a resource in your backyard.”

Kyle Dickson, Vice Chair

Position 3: Term ends 2027 

2514 Pilgrim Estate Dr.
Texas City, TX 77590
281-256-2443
kdickson@murray-lobb.com

Kyle and his wife, Mary Stratman Dickson were both born and raised in Texas City, graduating from Texas City High School in 1980 and 1976. They met while attending College of the Mainland in 1980.

Kyle received a B.B.A. from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1984, an M.B.A. from the University of Houston in 1987 and his law degree from South Texas College of Law in 1990. At South Texas he was a member of Phi Delta Phi Honorary Fraternity and served as the Assistant Editor of Corporate Council Review.

In 1999, Kyle left the private practice of law and joined C2C Fiber, Inc. as Senior Vice President/General Counsel. In 2002, Capital Telecommunications, Inc. acquired C2C Fiber, Inc. and from April 2002 to June 2006 he was Vice President of Business Development/General Counsel. Capital Telecommunications was acquired in July 2006 by StarVox Communications, Inc. and from July 2006 to July 2007 he was Vice President/General Counsel.

In late 2007 Kyle re-entered the private practice of law by joining McFatridge, Baker & Schmidt prior to merging with Murray-Lobb where he currently serves as the managing partner. Murray-Lobb provides legal services to banks and other financial institutions as well as a variety of other small and medium sized businesses.

Kyle supports and serves on many boards in his community including Mission Generation, Inc., Associated Credit Union of Texas, Mainland Communities Crime Stoppers, Inc. and the College of the Mainland Foundation, Inc.

Kyle and Mary’s children, Victoria and Kyle, Jr., are both graduates of Texas City High School. Victoria graduated in 2007 from California College of the Arts with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Fashion Design and Kyle graduated in 2015 from the Colorado School of Mines with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.

For many years Kyle’s wife taught earth science at Blocker Middle School, eventually becoming one of their counselors but is currently the counselor at Heights Elementary School in Texas City. Kyle and his wife attend First Baptist Church of Texas City.

Kimberly Dodson, Secretary

Position 4: Term ends 2031

Dr. Kimberly Dodson is a resident of Dickinson, Texas. She earned her doctorate in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and holds both a Bachelor and Master of Criminal Justice and Criminology from East Tennessee State University. Her academic journey began at Walters State Community College, where she earned an Associate of Applied Science in Public Safety.

Dr. Dodson brings extensive practical experience in the criminal justice field. She graduated from the East Tennessee Regional Law Enforcement Academy, affiliated with Walters State Community College, in 1992. That same year, she began her career as a correctional officer with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department in Greeneville, Tennessee. In 1995, she was promoted to Deputy Sheriff in the Patrol Division, and the following year, advanced to the Criminal Investigation Division as a detective, specializing in cases involving child and elder abuse. In 1998, Dr. Dodson was hired by the United States Marshals Service as a Contract Marshal, where she was primarily responsible for prisoner transport and fugitive apprehension.

Currently, Dr. Dodson serves as a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Houston–Clear Lake. She teaches courses on corrections, ethics, race and crime, special populations, and research methods and statistics. She also teaches in the University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Transforming Lives by Degrees Program that provides Behavioral Science and Humanities bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Ramsey Unit in Rosharon, TX.

She is nationally recognized for her scholarship on correctional policies and practices, racial and gender inequalities, and justice-involved individuals with disabilities. Her research has been published in leading academic journals, including The Prison Journal, Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, Journal of Criminal Justice and Law, Forensic Scholars Today, and the International Journal of Neurology and Neurotherapy. She has also contributed to works published by Oxford University Press, Routledge, Cognella, and the American Bar Association.

Dr. Dodson was the recipient of the 2024 Texas Research and Scholarship Award from the University of Houston–Clear Lake for her work on police practices in a border community. In 2022, she received the Becky Tatum Excellence Award from the Minorities and Women Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, in recognition of her empirical contributions to the study of Black, Indigenous, and people of color involved in the criminal justice system. She has also received numerous national and international awards for her teaching and service to the field of criminal justice.

Dr. Dodson has been married to her husband, Randy, for 30 years. They have three children: Jasmine, Crow, and Brandon.

Donald G. Gartman

Position 7: Term ends 2029 - At Large Position

2538 Quaker Dr.
Texas City, TX 77590
409-945-3307
d.gartman@com.edu

A veteran, businessman and community advocate, Don Gartman has spent decades serving Galveston County.

Gartman’s career began when he joined the Army, three days after high school graduation. After military service, he worked various construction jobs, and with the City of Austin electrical utility department.

No one in his family had gone to college. One scorching day during lunch break, a conversation with his foreman changed his mind about higher education.

"He said, ‘Don, you’re much too intelligent to be working in the hot sun like this! You need to get an education and become an engineer.’ I asked, ‘What does an engineer do?’ He said, ‘See that power plant? There is an electrical engineer running it,’” Gartman recalled.

In June 1966 Gartman earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Southwest Texas State University, with a major in business management and minor in economics.

“After graduation, I visited my foreman and told him how he had changed my life,” said Gartman. “I get emotional thinking about it because I come from a very poor background.”

Gartman held many executive positions with Houston Lighting and Power, Reliant Energy and CenterPoint Energy. From 1995 to 2002, he was chairman, president and CEO of EDESE, an electric distribution company located in northwest Argentina that was purchased by Reliant Energy.

“The company had been owned by the state government and was in terrible condition. We trained and developed good employees, improved efficiency and developed an award-winning company over an eight-year period. That was the greatest experience of my life,” said Gartman. “Every challenge or job I have had, I have done the very best I could. I truly believe that’s the key to any success in life.”

In 2004, he helped restructure and develop the Galveston County Economic Alliance, and created the Galveston County Economic Alliance Foundation that sponsors the Galveston County Small Business Development Center.

Gartman has a long history with community boards. He has also served as a Galveston Chamber of Commerce president and board member, Texas City Rotary board member, and Galveston United Way president and board member.

Another way of giving back is serving on the College of the Mainland Board of Trustees.

“I am a strong believer in community colleges,” said Gartman. “Your degree from a community college can be rewarding to your career, or it can be a stepping stone toward a four-year degree at a major university, without the large debt.”

Dr. William (Bill) McGarvey

Position 6: Term ends 2031 – At Large Position

808 Buttonwood Dr.
Texas City, TX 77591
409-770-3537
wmcgarvey@gmail.com

After graduating from La Marque High School, McGarvey attended College of the Mainland, graduating with an Associate of Arts. He then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin where, as a Phi Beta Kappa, earned a Bachelor of Arts with high honors in economics. McGarvey furthered his education by earning a Master of Arts in mathematics from the University of Houston and a Ph.D. in computer information systems from Nova Southeastern University.

McGarvey began his career at American National Insurance Company as a computer programmer before going to work for International Business Machines (IBM) for more than 20 years. In 1997, he was inducted into IBM's Golden Circle, an award reserved for the company's highest performing employees. In 2003, McGarvey left IBM to start his own business, William McGarvey Enterprises, which owns and manages residential rental properties.

McGarvey served as chair of COMPAC, an organization of volunteer citizens who advocated in favor of passing the COM 2018 bond referendum. He currently is a board member of both the Texas City ISD Foundation for the Future and the College of the Mainland Foundation.

McGarvey is married to his wife, Genevieve. He has three children and five grandchildren.

As McGarvey says, "College of the Mainland will always have a special place in my heart. When I graduated from high school, I had neither the grades, nor the money, nor the maturity to make it at a four-year university, but thanks to College of the Mainland, I had the opportunity to pursue a higher education and this changed the direction of my life.

"I often refer to College of the Mainland as one of the crown jewels of our community and I look forward to a future where our crown jewel shines ever brighter."