CEO on the move
Annesa Cheek will serve as the 11th president of Frederick Community College in Maryland, effective July 1. She is currently president of St. Cloud Technical and Community Collage in Minnesota, a post she has held since 2018.
Previously, Cheek for 12 years served at Sinclair Community College in Ohio, including three years as vice president of school and community partnerships. Other positions she held at the college include vice president for student financial services and senior advisor to the president, chief of staff in the office of the president, and senior director of advancement. Cheek has also served as the executive vice president for the Ohio Association of Community Colleges and is currently is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Commission on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. In addition, Cheek is a gubernatorial appointee to the Executive Council for the Young Women’s Initiative.
New CEO
Eric Leshinskie will serve as the next president of Scottsdale Community College (SCC) in Arizona, effective July 1. He is currently interim executive vice chancellor and provost for the Maricopa County Community College District, which includes SCC.
Previously, Leshinskie was vice president of academic affairs at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC). He focused on promoting teaching excellence, fostering inclusive learning environments, championing innovation across the college, and developing strong internal and external partnerships to support students. Prior to PVCC, Leshinskie was interim vice president of academic affairs at Glendale Community College. Leshinskie has taught part-time English courses for both Glendale and PVCC. Over his career, he also served as district director of academic affairs support programs and services, providing leadership for the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction.
Interim president
Chris Cox is now the interim president of Shelton State Community College in Alabama. He previously was special assistant to the chancellor at the Alabama Community College System, a position he held for about a year. Prior to that, Cox was interim president at Alabama’s Northwest-Shoals Community College, Bevill State Community College and Lurleen B. Wallace Community College.
Before moving into the community college sector, Cox was assistant principal at a high school and principal of an elementary school.
Acting CEO
David Forester will serve as acting president of North Carolina’s Halifax Community College through March 31. Forester has served as the college’s vice president of administrative services/chief financial officer since 2017. His experience includes working as dean of administrative services/CFO and serving as an interim president at Roanoke-Chowan Community College (North Carolina). Cox also was chair of the business and entrepreneurship department as well as a business instructor at Haywood Community College (North Carolina) for more than a decade.
Kudos
Sunita “Sunny” Cooke, superintendent/president of California’s MiraCosta College, has been named the 2022 recipient of the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction from the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society. The award recognizes college presidents who have shown support for student success initiatives leading to stronger pathways to completion, transfer and employment; and have taken an active interest in supporting high-achieving students and developing student leaders on campus. Recipients are nominated by students on their campus and are only eligible to receive the award once over the course of their careers.
During her tenure as superintendent/president of MiraCosta College, Cooke–who also serves on the AACC board of directors–has been instrumental in implementing new degrees and certificates, including a unique biomanufacturing bachelor’s degree. Additionally, under her leadership, graduation and transfer rates have significantly improved, and the college has received recognition as an Achieving the Dream Leader College and Aspen Prize for Excellence nominee.
Janet Spriggs, president of Forsyth Technical Community College in North Carolina, has received the Paragon President Award from the PTK National Honor Society, the international honor society of two-year colleges. Spriggs received the award for her work to mentor and develop student leaders through the “exceptional and unfamiliar circumstances” of the last several semesters, according to the PTK.
“I am so incredibly honored to have been nominated by our fantastic students for this award. Forsyth Tech is a place of promise for all students, no matter their background. That is what I have centered my presidency on: our student’s success,” Spriggs said in a release.
Obituary
Mary Ellen Duncan, president emeritus of Howard Community College (HCC), passed away at age 80 on February 10. She served as the third president of the Maryland college from 1998 to 2008. During her tenure, the college completed a $14 million campaign, expanded campus buildings and facilities, doubled the student body, and received several awards at the state and national level.
After departing HCC, Duncan served as a leadership coach for Achieving the Dream and also worked as a higher education consultant.
Prior to HCC, Duncan was president of State University of New York at Delhi from 1991 to 1998, and as interim president at the Community College of Baltimore County (then called Catonsville Community College) from 1990 to 1991, having also served the college as dean of planning and development from 1988 to 1989 and again from 1990 to 1991.
Duncan also was dean of the Tri-County Technical College in South Carolina from 1987 to 1988, and served the college in various capacities from 1975 to 1992, including director of institutional development, director of the Eastern region, instructional associate for the Action Center and instructor. Early in her education career, she was a high school English and Latin teacher.
Among her many accolades, Duncan received a John Fry Award and Merit Award from AACC in 1981 and 1982, respectively.
Appointments
Kristine Young, president of Orange County Community College in New York and a member of the AACC board of directors, has been named co-chair of the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council, a key component of New York State’s transformative approach to state investment and economic development. Young is recognized as a visionary leader who is implementing a strategic plan for her college to empower student success, strengthen the region’s economic future, and sustain and invigorate its own institutional future.
Sharroan Stewart is now the K-12 liaison/Perkins Grant coordinator at Cleveland State Community College (CSCC) in Tennessee. The CSCC alumna previously worked for the Douglas Cherokee Economic Authority as an EOC education specialist and Monroe County coordinator/DCEA office manager.
