New CEO
Ashanti Hands will become president of San Diego Mesa College on July 1. Since 2016, she has served as vice president of student services at the California college.
Hands is known as an equity-focused leader with a deep commitment to diversity, access and student success, and has contributed to the college’s efforts to use data-informed decision-making to ensure equitable outcomes.
Hands joined Mesa in 2008 and has held positions as dean of student affairs, acting dean of student development and articulation, and acting vice president of student services. Prior to Mesa, she was dean of student affairs at the University of California, San Diego.
“Dr. Hands is exactly the type of dynamic leader needed to take Mesa College to the next level of community engagement and success,” said San Diego Community College District Chancellor Carlos O. Cortez. “With her familiarity with the district and college, she will be able to help Mesa accomplish its student-focused, equity-minded mission.”
Interim presidents
William “Bill” Aiken will serve as interim president of Randolph Community College in North Carolina, effective July 1. Aiken was previously president of Sampson Community College from 2000 to 2012, when he retired. Since then, he has served as interim president for seven other community colleges, including Wake Technical, Cleveland, Haywood, Rockingham, Robeson and Southeastern community colleges as well as Paul D. Camp Community College in Virginia. He brings more than 40 years of experience in higher education with 20 of those in the North Carolina Community College System.
Juan Olivarez, president emeritus of Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), will serve as interim president of the Michigan college. He was the first Hispanic president of a Michigan college when he guided GRCC from 1999 to 2008. After retiring from GRCC in 2008, Olivarez became president and CEO of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. He was a distinguished scholar in residence for diversity, equity and inclusion at Grand Valley State University’s Dorothy Johnson Center for Philanthropy between 2018 and 2021.
CEO retirement
Kevin Drumm, president of SUNY Broome Community College in New York, has announced his plans to retire on July 1, 2023. He has served at the helm of the college since 2010, where he has led multiple efforts to improve enrollment, student success and infrastructure.
Under Broome’s leadership, SUNY Broome has renovated and built new structures, including a $21-million Nature Science Center, an $18-million on-campus student housing complex, and most recently transforming a local historic library into a culinary and event center.
Drumm has also made strides in SUNY Broome’s outreach efforts to the community, area universities and local high schools. As a result, the college has quadrupled the number of high school partners, created new partnerships with neighboring Binghamton University and formed partnerships with many other colleges and universities such as SUNY Cortland, Empire State College and the University of Limerick in Ireland.
Prior to SUNY Broome, Drumm was president of the Northern Wyoming Community College District from 2004 to 2010. Before that, he was vice president for enrollment/student and public affairs at Springfield Technical Community College in Massachusetts. Over his career, Drumm has also held a variety of student services and academic affairs positions at community colleges, universities and private colleges, ranging from student life director and assistant academic dean, to vice president for student affairs.
Kudos
Kim Blosser, president of Lord Fairfax Community College in Virginia, was recently recognized for her student-focused and technology-driven leadership style by the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council, which presented her with the Glo Fiber Enterprise’s Dr. Noftsinger Leadership award. Blosser has prioritized giving students the option to learn online – in many cases, students can earn their degree entirely online – has expanded the IT department, and has invested in the technology that allows for students and faculty to have more interaction, the council said.
Chris Mangino, president of Queensborough Community College in New York, was named by City & State NY Magazine to its Queens Power 100 list. It cited her leadership in the college’s biggest expansion in 60 years, including transforming a former Jewish center into a new building for the college.
“It’s one way that Mangino has been working to bolster the college’s reputation for quality low-cost education since becoming president in 2020. Those efforts are also informed by her own experience as a first-generation college student who attended community college on Long Island,” the magazine said.
Tonjua Williams, president of St. Petersburg College in Florida, has been named to the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 by the Florida Council on Economic Education. This year’s inductees were recognized for their work to keep the region “vibrant.” The council promotes preparing young people for personal and financial success through educational programs in economics, the free enterprise system and personal financial literacy.
Tonya Bailey, chief diversity officer at Lansing Community College (LCC) in Michigan, will receive the Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Leadership Award from the Michigan ACE (American Council on Education) Network. It recognizes her efforts on behalf of the human need for community, connection and belonging. Bailey has founded and led a number of programs at LCC focused on equity, inclusion and inspiration of young women.
Appointments
Phyllis D. Adams is the new Weekend College director at Motlow State Community College in Tennessee. Weekend End is designed to allow working adults the opportunity to take college courses by attending class only on the weekends.
Tiffany Hernandez has been appointed vice president for student success at San Antonio College in Texas. She most recently served in an interim role in the position and previously was dean of the division.
Barry Robinson has joined Washington’s Whatcom Community College (WCC) as vice president for instruction. He comes from Seattle Central College, where he was executive dean of healthcare and human services.
Lesley Quattlebaum will become director of the College of Southern Maryland‘s Velocity Center, which serves as a catalyst for scientific and innovative workforce development in collaboration with the town of Indian Head, the U.S. Navy and the community. She joined the college in 2016, holding positions of project manager in business development and grants specialist coordinator, and most recently was the Velocity Center’s interim director.
