Richard S. Cothran, Ed.D.

Dean, Corporate and Community Education Division

Dr. Richard “Rick” Cothran has 13 years of experience in higher education and a combined 24 years of experience in manufacturing, marketing and sales, change management, statistical process control, lean manufacturing and data analytics.

In his current role at Tri-County, Dr. Cothran is responsible for managing the Corporate and Community Education Division, which offers fast, flexible, focused workforce development programs that promote and support student success, workforce development, the tri-county community and local economy. Prior to his role at Tri-County, he was the executive director of PalmettoPride, vice president of operations for Alexco Machinery, and vice president of operations for Draper Corporation.

Dr. Cothran has an Associate of Science degree in business administration and marketing from Greenville Technical College, a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of South Carolina, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Webster University. He also holds a doctorate degree in higher education administration from Northeastern University.