Owens Community College has named Dr. Teddy Farias as its next Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions after a national search, the college announced in a news release on Oct. 29. Farias started at the college on Monday, Oct. 26, according to Owens Community College.
Farias comes to Owens from San Jacinto College in Houston, Texas, where he served as Dean of Health and Natural Sciences for eight years, according to the college. Before that he was Dean of Health Sciences at the Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology in Kansas, Dean of Health Sciences at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico, and Department Chair of Health Sciences at Kaplan University in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Owens said.
“There’s a lot of great things going on here,” Farias said in the Owens Community College release. “The leadership is great. This facility (Healthcare Education Center) is state-of-the-art as compared to other facilities. It has all of the allied health programs along with nursing, which a lot of other places don’t have.”
Farias replaces Cathy Ford, who retired from Owens in July 2025 after 43 years at the college, according to the release. Dr. Michael Sander, Dean of Liberal Arts, served as interim dean. “Dr. Farias stood out for the breadth of experience he brings to this role in clinical practice, health professions education, higher education leadership and workforce development,” Dr. Denise Smith, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, said in the Owens release.
The school he now leads is Owens’ largest pipeline into northwest Ohio health care. The $27.8 million Healthcare Education Center opened in 2025 and houses all 11 healthcare disciplines at the college, according to Owens. In fall 2026, Registered Nursing was the top enrolled program with 518 students, and four of Owens’ top 10 career-focused programs are in the school — Registered Nursing, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Radiologic Technology and Physical Therapy Assistant, the college said.
Owens said its nursing graduates have met or exceeded state and national NCLEX pass rates over the past 20 years at a rate higher than any other regional nursing program, and its graduates fill jobs at regional employers including ProMedica, Mercy Health and Blanchard Valley Health, according to the release. Farias, a Missouri native, holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri, a Master of Science in Higher Education from Purdue Global, and a Doctorate of Chiropractic from Logan University, Owens said.
“The key thing is listening and not coming in and making change for the sake of change,” Farias said in the Owens release. What happens next is that listening work: Farias said in the release he is excited to learn the students, faculty, staff, K-12 partners, higher education partners, local industry and local communities across the Toledo-area and Findlay-area campuses he now serves.
Photo: COD Newsroom, CC BY
[…] Ohio institutions investing in workforce programs. Earlier this week NewsForce247 reported that Owens Community College named Dr. Teddy Farias dean of nursing and health professions, another example of a regional school aligning its leadership with the jobs local employers say […]