An ad in the newspaper. That’s the starting point of what became a 40-year career in higher education for Christa Slejko.
“The position was called, ‘data processing coordinator,’ which doesn’t even sound like a real job title now,” Slejko said, laughing. “But I thought, ‘Oh, that sounds cool.’ So, I went to apply.”
Back then, applicants applied on site and this job was based out of Dallas College’s Mountain View Campus. Slejko landed the position and, as they say, the rest is history. She moved up the ladder, all the way to serving as the North Lake President for more than decade.
Slejko’s distinguished career comes to a close at the end of the month. She recently walked down memory lane about her time with Dallas College.
As she summed it up, “It’s been an incredible journey.”
First Job
Slejko recalled being “very green” when she first started at Dallas College. She didn’t have much real-world experience, and her first boss was a burly, intimidating guy.
The job itself entailed working with mainframe computers, writing code and setting up equipment for registration events.
“We’d drag equipment out of closets to the gym and set up dumb terminals with coax cables. I wish I had pictures of those old setups — big printers, lots of duct tape and reels of coax cables,” she said. “It was very old school.”
She eventually found her boss to be a kind, caring man, one who made sure she had the support she needed. Slejko started taking on more responsibility, too, doing an understudy with the business office to prepare for career advancement. Of course, she kept her data processing duties.
“That was the norm back then,” Slejko said, smiling. “You’d take on additional roles without dropping the ones you already had.”
Path to President
Slejko earned her first formal promotion to become Mountain View’s director of business operations in August 1988. She carried her data processing job into that position, and even served one year as HR director while juggling her other responsibilities. Next, she became the dean of financial affairs at North Lake in 1997, and eventually North Lake’s vice president of business services in September 2001. She had a stint as the interim vice chancellor of business affairs in 2006 before becoming North Lake’s interim president in August 2011 and full-time president in August 2014.
Slejko said she didn’t always land every job she applied for. She also never aspired to become a president.
“I didn’t have my eyes on the presidency. Plus, I thought about how presidents have to work all the time — evenings, weekends. I didn’t think I wanted to do that.”
But, of course, she said yes when offered the role of interim president.
“Over time, I’ve realized that sometimes other people see your potential before you do. It’s funny — sometimes you’re fighting to make sure others see your potential and other times people see something in you. You’re like, ‘Really? You think I can do this?’ That’s what happened to me,” Slejko said.
Lasting Legacy
Over a 40-year career, Slejko could point to dozens of memorable moments and achievements over the years. She has championship rings from North Lake’s athletics teams winning national titles. She smiles when she walks by the big horse statue on campus that was built by Dallas College faculty and welding students to celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary. If she needs a laugh, she remembers an embarrassing moment when her heel got caught in an escalator during the first round of interviews for the North Lake president’s job.
However, as far as a legacy is concerned, the Coppell Center’s Construction Sciences Building remains one of her proudest achievements. It’s a state-of-the-art construction building designed in a manner that allows students the ability to see the inner workings of various systems. It’s also equipped with premium furnishings throughout, a subtle way to dismiss the stereotype that construction is a dirty and dangerous profession.
“The Coppell Center is still one of the coolest buildings,” Slejko said. “It’s high-end, and it doesn’t feel like a typical construction or trade school.
Slejko is also quick to point out that sustainability remains at the heart of the Construction Sciences Building as it earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
“Sustainability was prioritized under (former North Lake President) Linda Glasscock’s leadership,” Slejko said. “We continued that legacy.”
Parting Words
As she reflects on her career, Slejko can’t help but think of the people — students, colleagues, community members. The millions who have stepped foot on the North Lake Campus and other Dallas College locations over the years.
It always comes back to the students.
“I always say, I wish I had before and after pictures of our students,” she said. “It’s amazing to see the transformation. Watching them start and then seeing who they’ve become by the end — it’s truly transformational.”
Beyond that, Slejko said, it’s knowing the positive impact that everyone associated with Dallas College makes daily.
“When we get up and come to work, we’re doing something to make the world better,” she said. “How many people spend their whole lives working without feeling that? I’ve always felt like I was doing something that mattered.”
