Cynthia Lenton-Gary, Ph.D.

Cynthia Lenton-Gary, Ph.D.

cynthia.lentongary@hccs.edu

District VII

Dr. Cynthia Lenton-Gary is the Houston City College Board Trustee for District VII. She was elected to three consecutive terms as Board Chair (January 2022 through March 2025). Dr. Lenton-Gary is an appointed member of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Governance and Bylaws Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee. ACCT is a national non-profit organization of governing boards, serving the needs of community college trustees. In addition, she serves on the Association of Governing Boards. Dr. Lenton-Gary was the first African American female to serve in city government for the City of Missouri City and the first African American woman appointed to the Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) Board of Trustees.

Upon completion of her bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Dr. Lenton-Gary began working as an Environmental Chemist and was employed as a Research Chemist and a Forensic Scientist (Criminalist with the Houston Police Department). Dr. Lenton-Gary left corporate America to pursue a career in education and became very active in her community. She later received her master’s degree in Sociology and her Doctorate degree in Christian Counseling.

As a member of the city council, Dr. Lenton-Gary created a Youth Council in her district, which provided high school students with summer jobs. Her passion and willingness to serve others afforded Dr. Lenton-Gary to be recognized by “Who’s Who Among Professional Women.” She has been active in many organizations and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. She was honored by her sorority as “A Woman of Change-Making a Difference in the Community.” She worships at the Fountain of Praise Church where she is very active in the Deaconess Ministry.

Dr. Lenton-Gary is a recipient of numerous awards which include the YMCA Minority Achievers Award, NAACP President’s Award for Community and Civic Engagement, National Forum for Black Public Administrators for Outstanding Success and Invaluable Contributions. In addition, Holman Street Baptist Church named her “Woman of Legacy Impacting Others.” She was also named as one of Houston’s Top 30 Most Influential Women. She has received numerous awards for her service and recently co-presented at the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) where she discussed the Trustee’s Impact on Student Outcomes.

Dr. Lenton-Gary served on the Board of Directors of the Houston-Galveston Area Council and was a member of the Greater Houston Partnership. She served as an Ambassador for the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. As ambassador and stroke survivor, Dr. Lenton-Gary, along with Kirk Franklin, was a special guest on the talk show “Great Day Houston” to discuss heart health.