CEOs on the move
Ray DiPasquale will serve as the seventh president of Massasoit Community College in Massachusetts. DiPasquale most recently was president of Clinton Community College in New York, where he served since 2017. Prior to that, DiPasquale was a consultant for the Rhode Island Board of Education and served as president of the Community College of Rhode Island from 2006 to 2016. He was also a commissioner of higher education for the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education (now the Rhode Island Board of Education), as vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at the SUNY College at Brockport, and in a number of leadership positions at Springfield Technical Community College. He began his career in higher education at Middlesex Community College.
Brenda Thames will become superintendent/president of the El Camino College in California, effective July 1. She is currently president of West Hills College Coalinga (California), a position she has held since 2017. Thames previously was at Modesto Junior College (MJC) as its vice president of instruction and has previously served in a variety of positions at MJC, American River College and the Los Rios Community College District Office, including adjunct faculty, tenured faculty, faculty coordinator, department chair, program director, dean and vice president of student services. In addition to her experience in the community college sector, Thames worked for more than five years as a mental health clinician.
New CEOs
Vince Rodriguez has been named the next president of his alma mater, Coastline College in California, effective July 1. He is currently the college’s vice president of instruction, a position he has held for seven years. Over his 23 years at Coastline, Rodriguez has provided leadership at each of Coastline’s learning centers and spent many years overseeing a distance learning program that accounts for nearly 75% of the enrollments at the college. He has served in several administrative positions, including vice president of instruction and student services, dean of instruction and distance learning, and director of distance learning.
Denise Whisenhunt will serve as president of Grossmont College in California, beginning July 1. She is currently vice president of student services at San Diego City College, a post she has held since 2013. She also served for 14 months as interim president of City College. Whisenhunt has worked at the campus since 2001, serving for four years as dean of student affairs and associate dean of student services/outreach. Prior to that, she was a transfer center coordinator at the University of California, Merced.
Retirement
Joe May, chancellor of Dallas College in Texas, plans to retire next year in August when his current contract expires. He became the seventh chancellor of the former Dallas County Community College District in 2014. Under his leadership, the institution tackled many of the community’s most challenging issues, including regional workforce needs, providing opportunity equality, the negative impacts of income disparity and growth of minority-owned businesses. He is well-known for his leadership in developing partnerships with K-12 systems, universities, business and industry, and more. May created the Career Connected Learner Network, a partnership of more than 200 area organizations, including independent school districts, universities, employers and community organizations, with a goal to provide opportunities to earn a living wage for local residents.
“Dr. Joe May is a true visionary who has made a permanent impact on Dallas College and Dallas County,” said Board of Trustees Chair Monica Bravo. “He understands the challenges that our students face and has led the creation of programs to reduce obstacles that may force them to choose between college or life’s necessities, including DART transportation passes, food pantries and emergency aid funds. Dr. May understands that education is transformational and can significantly change not only the life of a student, but also their family and community for generations.”
May also drove the expansion of early college pathways, including dual-credit enrollment and growth of Early College High School and Pathways to Technology (P-TECH) High School programs. To meet the early childhood teacher shortage, May sought authorization for Dallas College to offer a baccalaureate in early childhood education, which begins this fall.
In 2020, May led the consolidation of the district’s seven separate colleges into a singly accredited institution, Dallas College, to better serve the needs of more than 150,000 North Texas students.
Previously, May was president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, president of the Colorado Community College System and president of Pueblo Community College. He also served in leadership roles at Sul Ross State University, Navarro College and Vernon College — all in Texas.
Appointments
Kenneth Kirkland is now dean of health sciences at Gadsden State Community College in Alabama. Since 2019, he has served as director of health programs at the Alabama Community College System.
David Naze will serve as vice president/chief academic officer, academic services at Highland Community College in Illinois. He comes from Joliet Junior College (Illinois), where he was dean of arts and sciences.
Kristi Short is the new vice president/chief academic officer at Central Carolina Community College in North Carolina. She most recently was director of the Texas Success Center at the Texas Association of Community Colleges, a position she held since 2017.
