History

OTC Welding Program Shop

Oklahoma Technical College was founded in 2009 by career-education champion, Teresa Knox.

As a 4th generation Oklahoman, Teresa worked as a dental assistant for 7 years before finding an opportunity to train dental assistants on the side. She saw how much her life had changed since she enrolled in a college that focused on career-building skills and wanted to help others in the same way. In 1995 she officially started a school dedicated to helping aspiring professionals like herself. She named the school “Dental Directions, The School of Dental Assisting.” Dental Directions soon changed its name to Community Care College, a college for paraprofessionals looking to gain experience in healthcare, business, and other lifestyle fields, and continues to serve hundreds of students every year.

Because of the life-changing impact that career and technical education had on her own life, as well as her work experience as a professional dental assistant, she wanted to share with others that they don’t have to settle…they can get out of their situations and reach their potential, no matter how bad it may seem. Career education helped Teresa take charge of her future, and she spent the next two decades building an institution that helped thousands of others do the same.

Due to the growing market demand for exceptionally trained professionals, Clary Sage College was founded in 2004 and Oklahoma Technical College followed in 2009. Since the first college was opened in 1995, the unwavering belief of everyone at Community Care College, Clary Sage College, and Oklahoma Technical College is that a rewarding career is the foundation of positive life change and ultimate happiness.

In the summer of 2015, Oklahoma Technical College, Clary Sage College, and Community Care College started operating under Community HigherEd, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and public charity, and continue, as always, to fulfill the mission of empowering thousands of individuals with career-focused and skills-based training.