CEOs on the move
Tammeil Gilkerson is now president of Evergreen Valley College (EVC) in San Jose, California. She has spent most of her career in the California Community College system, serving most recently as president of Laney College in Oakland, a position she held since 2017. Prior to Laney, Gilkerson was vice president of academic and student affairs at Contra Costa College and as the first diversity, inclusion and innovation officer for the Contra Costa Community College District. She is familiar with EVC and the district, having previously served as dean of counseling and matriculation at EVC and vice president of academic affairs at San Jose City College. Gilkerson began her community college career as a faculty member in psychology-counseling at Chabot College, where she served as the coordinator for the TRIO Student Support Services program.
John Hauser has been appointed president of Gaston College in Dallas, North Carolina. He has served as president of Carteret Community College in Morehead City for three years. Previously, Hauser served for more than 20 years at Wilkes Community College in a variety of leadership roles, including vice president of applied career technologies and Alleghany Center. In addition to these roles, he has many years of classroom experience as an adjunct professor and instructor at Appalachian State University and Surry Community College. Before his career in education, Hauser was a mechanical and plant industrial engineer.
Interim president
Betsy Libby, vice president at Central Maine Community College (CMCC), will serve as interim president for the 2020-21 academic year. She has served at the college since 2006 in various roles, including dean of academic affairs, dean of student services, director of admissions and as an adjunct faculty member. Prior to CMCC, Libby held administrative roles at the State University of New York at Canton.
President emeritus
Brent Knight has received the title of president emeritus of Lansing Community College (LCC) from the college’s board of trustees. He completed 12 years of service at the Michigan college, 29 years as a community college president across several states and served on the board of directors of the American Association of Community Colleges. Knight, who retires this summer, is the first LCC president to receive the title. Knight first became a community college CEO in 1976, at age 29, when he was named president of Triton College in River Grove, Illinois, becoming one of the youngest college presidents in the nation.
CEO retirements
Pamela Edington, president of Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, New York, is retiring on July 31 after leading the institution for six years. As president emeritus, she will remain available to assist in the transition of leadership, and for other duties as the board of trustees may request, through January 2021. As president, Edington was instrumental in connecting the college to the community, establishing a site at the Family Partnership Center in the city of Poughkeepsie, increasing student success and developing programs of study to meet emerging workforce needs in the mid-Hudson Valley. She previously served for nine years as dean of academic affairs, then provost, at Norwalk Community College in Connecticut. Before that, she worked for 19 years at Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts, first as an assistant professor of sociology, then division chair and ultimately dean of social science and human services.
Among her numerous awards, Edington received the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal and also was named the Woman of the Year by the local chapter of the American Association of University Women in 2018.
Scott Knapp, president of Central Maine Community College (CMCC) in Auburn, will retire on August 31. Over his tenure since 1997, Knapp spearheaded the college’s expansion to a full community college and saw enrollment triple to more than 3,000 students. He also oversaw the opening of the Lapoint Center, which houses classrooms and computer labs; the Rancourt Hall residence facility; a new nursing simulation lab; the renovation of Jalbert Hall to include the early childhood education area; a new, state-of-the-art criminal justice lab; and the renovation of the graphic communications classrooms. In 2015, the college opened the Learning Tower, a four-story academic facility that houses case-study rooms, presentation and seminar rooms, and an organic chemistry lab. This lab was instrumental to the success of the college transfer agreement with the University of New England.
Knapp previously held leadership positions at Ivy Tech State College in Terre Haute, Indiana, and Lehigh Carbon Community College in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. He also was interim president of York County Community College in Wells several times. Over his career, he has served on various civic and education organizations, including chair of the Maine Higher Education Council and on the American Council on Education Commission on Lifelong Learning.
Kudos
The Houston Business Journal has named Stephen Head, chancellor of Lone Star College (LSC) in Texas, as one of its Most Admired CEO honorees for 2020. A panel of judges looked for characteristics such as contribution to company success, civic involvement, career achievement and more.
“They say the true test of a leader is someone who can confront adversity and make those around them stronger,” said Alton Smith, chair of the LSC board of trustees. “There is no better example of this than the challenge Dr. Head faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to his leadership, LSC increased online courses from 1,624 to 6,825 in just three weeks, a growth of 320 percent, providing students the opportunity to complete the spring 2020 semester.”
Appointments
Thomas A. Walker, Jr., president of Wayne Community College, is the new chair of the North Carolina Campus Compact executive board. The compact is a collaborative network of 39 colleges and universities committed to educating students for civic and social responsibility, partnering with communities for positive change, and strengthening democracy. He is the first community college representative on the executive board.
Mohammed Bey is now a chief officer for diversity, equity and inclusion at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay. He previously was the college’s director of diversity and inclusion since 2014.
