Terry C. Carson completed his BBA in marketing at Texas State University and earned an MBA from Sul Ross State University. He completed his doctorate in management at the University of Sarasota, Florida. Carson joined Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College in 1999 as Associate Professor of Business Administration and served as department chair from 2003 until 2009. He now holds the position of Dean of Rio Grande College.

A fifth-generation Texan, his family helped establish Zavala county, arriving in a wagon and living in a tent until a permanent home could be built near the Nueces river. Following some 20 years of experience in business and industry, Carson joined Southwest Texas Junior College in the Business Administration department and served as instructor there until he joined the Sul Ross community.

He is active in community service, including past directorships of the Uvalde Area Chamber of Commerce and the Uvalde Volunteer Fire Department. He has served as a member of the city Planning and Zoning Commission and is currently on the Board of Trustees of the First United Methodist Church in Uvalde.