CEO on the move
Ty A. Stone will serve as the next president of Cleveland State Community College in Tennessee, as of July 1. She is currently president of Jefferson Community College in New York, a position she has held since 2017.
Stone previously served in various leadership roles at Sinclair Community College in Ohio from 2010 to 2017, including vice president for strategic initiatives, vice president for business operations and director of business services. Prior to Sinclair, Stone was director of business and CFO at YMCA Dayton for two years, and assistant professor/project director at Central State University. She also was an air traffic controller in the U.S. Air Force.
Stone serves as co-chair of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council, is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges‘ Commission on Economic and Workforce Development, and is a member of the board of directors for the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization/Advocate DRUM, Adirondack North Country Association, and Jefferson-Lewis Workforce Development Board. Stone has twice been named to the City & State New York Higher Education Power 100 list of higher education leaders, public officials and philanthropists.
New CEO
David A. Ruth will become the fifth president of Northampton Community College (NCC) in Pennsylvania, effective July 1. He has served as the college’s vice president and chief of staff since 2016. In that role, Ruth serves as chief advisor to the president while directing strategic planning, institutional research, planning, government and community relations, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as well as global education and international student services, according to the college.
Prior to NCC, Ruth — an alumnus of Hagerstown Community College in Maryland — had a 23-year career at Drexel University in Philadelphia that included 11 years as dean of students and chief student affairs officer.
“As a community college graduate, he identifies with our students and their needs; as someone who has worked at NCC in an executive role, he well understands the heart and soul of our college,” NCC Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Fehnel said in a release. “And as someone who has been part of the leadership team at a major university (Drexel), he brings a fresh perspective that will forge our successful future.”
In addition to his administrative duties, Ruth has found time to be in the classroom as an adjunct instructor, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses (in-person and online) in mathematics, statistics, management, higher education and student development.
“It’s been important for me to do that to really appreciate the challenges students and faculty face every day, especially during the pandemic,” he said.
Appointments
Michael Burns has been named vice president of instruction at Lone Star College-North Harris after serving in an interim role since October. Previously, Burns was dean of career and applied technologies at the college since 2015, and he also was director of Corporate College for Lone Star College System for three years.
Blake Lewis will be the athletic director at Gadsden State Community College in Alabama. He comes from Lawson State Community College, where he was a coach and physical education instructor.
Kudos
Cathy Taylor, dean of sustainability, business and career technologies at Elgin Community College in Illinois, received the 2022 Harriet Gifford & Hattie Griffin Award for Education from YWCA Elgin. She was recognized for her commitment to helping students reach their academic and career goals.
