Ozarks Technical Community College’s 2025 commencement speaker is Dr. Tracy McGrady, the current Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of Ozarks Tech.
Dr. McGrady has served as the Provost for Ozarks Tech for the past eight years. Her career in higher education spans nearly three decades. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Communication from Missouri State University, as well as a doctorate in Instructional Leadership from Lindenwood University.
A Bolivar native, Dr. McGrady began her career in education upon being offered a graduate teaching assistantship while pursuing her master’s degree at Missouri State University. Later, she was hired to serve in administrative roles at MSU before she came to Ozarks Tech in 2001 as a communications instructor.
Since then, Dr. McGrady has served in several roles across the college. She has held positions as the Director of Grants Development; Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Advancement, Student Affairs and Workforce Development; and as the Dean of Academic and Student Affairs for OTC’s Richwood Valley Campus. Throughout her career, she has continued teaching as an adjunct instructor at Ozarks Tech.
Dr. McGrady was appointed to her current role as Provost in 2017. In her role as chief academic officer, she oversees faculty, curriculum, assessment and key institutional initiatives that advance the college’s mission. Working with the deans, faculty committees and senior officers, she shapes the institution’s academic priorities and ensures their successful implementation. She also oversees all academic support functions, such as tutoring, disability support and library services.
Over the years, Dr. McGrady’s top priority has always been to create an environment where students are supported in achieving their academic goals. Under her leadership, the college successfully navigated the challenges of continuing instruction during the pandemic, became the first community college in Missouri to confer a bachelor’s degree, and formed numerous partnerships to expand academic access for students, including the formation of the Alliance for Healthcare Education, a partnership with CoxHealth, Missouri State University, Springfield Public Schools and Ozarks Tech. She guided the academic affairs division through years of progress and program development and will leave Ozarks Tech in an era of forward momentum when she officially retires this summer.