New CEOs
Chad Hickox is now the permanent president of Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) in Washington, where he has served in an acting role since March. Hickox came to WWCC in 2018 as vice president of instruction. Since then, he has served as executive vice president/provost from July 2019 until March. Previously, Hickox was chief academic officer for a community college in Montana from 2015 to 2018. From 2008 to 2015 he held several leadership roles at South Seattle College, including associate dean of academic programs and both interim and permanent dean of academic programs before being chief strategy and chief data officer. Prior to becoming a college administrator, Hickox was a tenured philosophy instructor at Macomb Community College in Michigan.
P. Wesley Lundburg has been named the new president of San Diego Miramar College (California), starting July 1. For the past five years, he has served as executive dean and CEO of the Ammerman Campus at Suffolk County Community College (New York). Prior to that, Lundburg was dean of Bristol Community College’s New Bedford Campus in Massachusetts; interim president and CEO at Prince William Sound College (PWSC) in Alaska; dean of instruction/chief academic officer at PWSC; and dean of academic affairs at Minnesota State Community and Technical College – Fergus Falls, following eight years as an English professor.
Interim CEOs
Gary Locke, a former two-term governor of the state of Washington, was named interim president of Bellevue College, effective June 15. During the Obama administration, Locke – the first Chinese American elected governor in the U.S. – served as U.S. commerce secretary and most recently as U.S. ambassador to China. During interviews with the college’s board of trustees, Locke described himself as a nontraditional college president candidate and someone with a passion for education policy. Locke wants to encourage a cultural shift on campus, provide stability and elevate the college’s stature as it searches for a permanent president.
Vincent June is now interim chancellor of South Louisiana Community College (SLCC). He joined the college in 2016 and currently serves as vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. His higher education career spans 25 years, including 17 years as the chief student affairs/enrollment officer at three major institutions.
Russell Ward will become interim president of Maysville Community and Technical College (MCTC) in Kentucky on July 1. He has served as chief operations officer of MCTC and campus director of the Rowan and Maysville campuses. Ward has 30 years of experience in higher education, serving in a variety of leadership roles. He also has served as a student advisor and taught at universities and KCTCS colleges.
Appointments
Martin “Marty” Hanifin is now vice president of finance and administration at Lane Community College in Oregon. He is a seasoned vice president for finance and administration, having served both large public regional universities and several small private colleges in various states. He started his career in higher education as an assistant vice president at the University of Oregon.
Austin J. Hill has been named director for strategic partnerships at Harford Community College (HCC) in Maryland, effective June 15. A K-14 educator with eight years’ experience, Hill has served in several positions, including the Academy of Finance coordinator at Edgewood High School, the K-12 to College navigator at HCC, an HCC intermediary at the Edgewood Branch of the Harford County Library, and an adjunct instructor at HCC.
