CEO on the move
Lisa Larson, who has served as president of Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC) for the past five years, will join Education Design Lab (EDL) to work on community college-related projects. Her last day is October 23. She will lead the Community College Growth Engine Fund Initiative at EDL, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. EDL designs and implements innovative learning models for higher education and the future of work.
During her tenure, Larson oversaw the expansion of new learning models at EMCC and fostered systemwide discussions about embracing innovative approaches to serve students better and strengthen ties with the local community.
“I am most proud of being part of a community that is so committed to our students and business and industry partners,” she said in a release. “Supporting new learning models such as the Learning Facilitator program, and co-leading the system’s badging initiative with faculty, staff, students and partners are some of my proudest experiences.”
Interim CEO
Wayne Burton will serve as interim president of Eastern Maine Community College, effective mid-October. He previously was president of North Shore Community College in Massachusetts for 13 years before retiring in 2013. Prior to that, he worked at Salem State University and the University of New Hampshire. In 2011, Burton was appointed to the U.S. Education Department’s Committee on Measures of Student Success, served as chair of the Massachusetts Community College Presidents’ Council in 2011-2012 and is the founding chair of the National Community College Consortium on Autism and Intellectual Disabilities.
Kudos
Barbara Gaba, president of Atlantic Cape Community College, has been inducted into the Rutgers African-American Alumni Alliance Hall of Fame, which celebrates the accomplishments, leadership and contributions of the honorees to the university, their respective fields and the community. Gaba, who received her master’s degree in educational psychology from Rutgers, is the New Jersey community college’s first African-American and first female president.
Christopher M. Reber, president of Hudson County Community College (HCCC) in New Jersey, has been named to the NJBIZ Education Power 50 List for 2021. The list recognizes education leaders who are responsible for managing New Jersey higher education organizations, making policies that affect the institutions, or who are directly responsible for imparting knowledge to students, apprentices and the community at large.
This year’s list honors the ways educators, and colleges and universities, demonstrated resiliency and forward-thinking in navigating the pandemic and ongoing public health emergency. Among the college’s efforts since the pandemic began, HCCC has supported food pantries on its campuses; distributed more than 1,100 Chromebooks and laptop computers as well as 50 hot spots; and made more than 5,500 reheatable meals prepared by the college’s Culinary Arts Institute available to HCCC students and area communities.
Federico Zaragoza, president of the College of Southern Nevada (CSN), has received the Ohtli Award, the highest honor bestowed by the government of Mexico to individuals or organizations that have worked to empower the Mexican community abroad and helped to “open the path” for new Mexican American and Hispanic generations.
“There is nobody more deserving of this incredible Ohtli Award than Dr. Zaragoza,” said Peter Guzman, president of the Latin Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas. “He has promoted our culture with grace and pride. The Latin Chamber of Commerce congratulates Dr. Zaragoza for being the example of class and dignity.”
Zaragoza, who was born in Mexico and raised in Laredo, Texas, is a champion of diversity and inclusion at CSN, the largest and most diverse higher education institution in Nevada. He joined CSN in 2018 as the college’s first Hispanic president. Zaragoza also serves on the American Association of Community Colleges‘ board of directors.
CEO retirement
Andy Dorsey, president of Front Range Community College (FRCC), has announced that he will retire at the end of June 2022 after a 29-year career with the Colorado college and serving as CEO for 13 years.
Dorsey came to FRCC in 1993 as a part-time faculty member in psychology, and then in 1996 became the first full-time faculty member hired for the original Longmont campus. He subsequently served as dean and vice president before being named president in 2009. During his years at FRCC, Dorsey was the recipient of many accolades and has a long list of accomplishments attributed to him.
Under Dorsey’s leadership, FRCC has been recognized for its success of students who transfer to four-year colleges and for success in online learning. Dorsey also has been instrumental in promoting partnerships with business and industry, including over a dozen new degree or certificate programs and the opening of the Center for Integrated Manufacturing in Longmont and construction of the Health Care Careers Center in Fort Collins.
“Andy has been an incredible asset to the college, to its students and to the community. We are grateful for all he has done, in particular for his devotion to improving the learning environment for students through student services, capital improvements and new academic programs,” Joe Garcia, chancellor of the Colorado Community College System, said in a release. “He will be tremendously missed.”
Appointments
Anthony (Tony) Cipollone will join Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio as executive director of athletics, wellness and recreation. He will re-establish the college’s athletics program, which was suspended in fall 2020 due to the pandemic. For the past 11 years, Cipollone has been the athletics director for Westlake City Schools in Ohio.
Geoffrey Colbert has joined Virginia’s Danville Community College as dean of student services. He comes from Howard Community College in Maryland where he served as senior director of athletics, student conduct officer, Title IX coordinator and chief of staff to the vice president of student services.
Richard Kralevich is Anne Arundel Community College’s first vice president for information and instructional technology. Prior to joining the Maryland college, he was vice president for information technology and the founding director for the Center for Creative Instruction and Technology at Delaware Technical Community College.
