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Campus CEOs

The Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education has selected several campus chief executive officers who will oversee the day-to-day operations of campuses. The board is undertaking a major reorganization of the state’s community college system and by 2023 plans to merge the 12, independent community colleges into a single accredited institution, known as Connecticut State Community College.

Michelle Coach will become campus CEO of Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield. She is currently the college’s interim CEO, where she has overseen the campus during the pandemic. Coach previously was interim dean of academic affairs, beginning in January 2017. During her tenure as a faculty member, she was a science coordinator and the Natural, Behavioral and Social Science Department chair.

Karen Hynick will become campus CEO of Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson. Hynick has served as vice president of academic affairs at North Shore Community College in Massachusetts since 2014. Prior to that, she was the chancellor’s fellow at the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MSCU), assisting in revamping a system-wide strategic framework. Simultaneously, she served as system director for P-20 for MSCU. Hynick also spent six years as dean of academic affairs and student support at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

Darryl Reome will become campus CEO of Tunxis Community College in Farmington. He has served as its interim campus CEO since 2019. Reome has held several leadership positions within the CSCU system since 2005, including director of admissions at Middlesex Community College and associate dean of student affairs and enrollment management at Northwestern Connecticut Community College. He also was acting dean of academic affairs and director of advising, counseling and student retention.

Cheryl De Vonish will become campus CEO of Norwalk Community College (NCC) in Norwalk. She also is currently interim CEO. Since 2015, De Vonish has served in many NCC leadership roles and as an adjunct faculty member. Previously, she was the college’s chief operating officer. Prior to NCC, De Vonish was an attorney for the City of New York and served on the Department of Youth and Community Development Advisory Board.

CEO retirement

Kathleen Hetherington, who has served as president of Howard Community College in Maryland for 14 years, has announced her plans to retire on October 1. With her student-centered approach to leadership, Hetherington has revamped the college’s strategic planning process, implemented and increased the college’s dual-enrollment initiative with the local county public school system, added academic programs in high-demand fields, and focused on increasing degree completion and transfer to four-year colleges and universities. As a result, HCC has grown to more than 26,000 credit and noncredit students.

During her tenure as president, HCC has achieved recognition as a “Great College to Work For” from the Chronicle of Higher Education and ModernThink for 12 consecutive years. HCC is the only community college recognized every year that community colleges have been eligible for the award. In 2019, HCC received the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in the category of education.

Well respected by her peers in higher education, the Association of Community College Trustees named Hetherington as the recipient of its 2014 Chief Executive Officer Award. She also was recognized by The Daily Record with its 2018 Influential Marylander Award and as a Most Admired CEO in 2016 and 2020. In 2019, Hetherington and the college’s board of trustees received the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Award of Excellence for exemplary CEO/board relationship. The college also is a finalist this year in the category of outstanding college/corporate partnership.

Hetherington also has served on the AACC board of directors and is currently a member of its Advocacy Advisory Group. In addition, she serves as a commissioner representing Maryland on the Education Commission of the States and has been selected by Gov. Larry Hogan to co-chair the Maryland Citizen Redistricting Commission.

Hetherington has worked at HCC for 22 years, previously as executive vice president, capital campaign manager and vice president of student services. Before joining the college, she held progressively responsible positions at the Community College of Philadelphia, including dean of student systems. She also served as an adjunct professor at Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania.

Appointment

Walter Johnson was named vice president of institutional advancement at College of DuPage in Illinois. Previously, Johnson was president and COO at Chicago Hope Academy, executive director of Project C.U.R.E. Chicago, president and CEO of the Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, CEO of the YMCA of Northwestern DuPage County, vice president of the Heritage YMCA Group and director of athletics at North Central College.

About the Author

Matthew Dembicki
Matthew Dembicki edits Community College Daily and serves as associate vice president of communications for the American Association of Community Colleges.
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