Our History

Clary Sage College was founded in 2004 by carer-education champion, Teresa Knox.

A 4th generation Oklahoman, Teresa worked as a dental assistant for 7 years before coming up with the idea of training dental assistants as a part-time job. 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 new work experience as a professional dental assistant, she wanted to share with others that you don’t have to settle…you can get out of your situation and reach your potential, no matter how bad it may seem. Her unwavering belief is that a rewarding career is the foundation of positive life change and ultimate happiness.

Due to the growing market demand for exceptionally trained professionals, Clary Sage College was founded in 2004 and Oklahoma Technical College followed in 2009!

In the summer of 2015, Teresa converted the colleges from a for-profit corporation to a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and public charity. Community HigherEd Institute is the parent non-profit entity of all three campuses. After the conversion, Teresa stepped down as CEO in order to serve on the executive board of Community HigherEd.