Newsmakers

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New CEOs

Bryan Renfro will serve as the seventh president of John Wood Community College (JWCC) in Illinois, effective January 1. He is currently vice president of academic instruction at Paris Junior College in Texas. Previously, Renfro served in various academic affairs leadership roles, including associate vice provost of academic and workforce affairs at Tyler Junior College (Texas) and dean of business and public services at Hawkeye Community College (Iowa).

Throughout his career in higher education, Renfro has taught courses in anthropology, criminal justice and education.

“Dr. Renfro’s strong drive for results, balanced with his strategic orientation makes him a natural fit to carry the torch for JWCC with respect to student success, enrollment growth, career and technical program development, and leadership within our college and community,” said Diane Ary, chair of JWCC’s board of trustees.

Yolanda Wilson has been named the sixth president of the College of Southern Maryland and will be the first African-American president of the 64-year-old college. She starts her new post on January 1.

Wilson comes from Wilkes Community College in North Carolina, where she is vice president of instruction and is a leadership coach for Achieving the Dream. A veteran professor and administrator of the North Carolina and South Carolina community college systems for more than 22 years, Wilson began her career as an adjunct faculty member and then moved into leadership roles in both academic affairs, student services and campus operations, according to a press release. Her work in higher education has centered on creating a student-ready college culture, mitigating institutional barriers to access, retention and completion, and strategically focusing on programming and policies that support all students to success.

Wilson currently serves on several North Carolina Community College System committees, is board secretary and Region 2 director for the American Association for Women in Community Colleges, and chairs reaffirmation visits for the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

CEO retirement

Lori Sundberg, president of Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, has announced her plans to retire next fall. She has served as the fifth president of the college for five years.
Previously, Sundberg was president of Carl Sandburg College in Illinois, which she led for eight years. Prior to that, she served at the college in vice presidential positions in academic services and administrative services. In addition to her leadership roles, Sundberg also had experience in the classroom. Early in her career, she was an adjunct economics instructor at Carl Sandburg and also taught accounting courses at Knox College. She also was an adjunct instructor in Ferris State University’s Doctorate in Community College Leadership program.

Sundberg also currently serves on the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) board of directors. She previously served on the board from 2013-2016. Sundberg was a member of the 21st-Century AACC Implementation Team and chair of the AACC Commission for Leadership and Professional Development. She has published numerous articles on community college leadership, enrollment and technology, and was named one of the most influential business leaders in 2019.

Appointments

Margaret M. McMenamin, president of New Jersey’s Union College, a Hispanic-serving institution, has been selected to serve on the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) governing board for a two-year term. This fall, 45% of Union’s enrolled students and over 55% first-time, full-time students identified themselves as Hispanic.

Edward Kelty is the new chief information officer at Finger Lakes Community College in upstate New York. He has 30 years of experience working at community colleges in Arizona, including 14 years as a chief information officer.

Lizette Navarette is now interim deputy chancellor of California Community Colleges. She’s been with the state chancellor’s office since 2020 and previously was executive vice chancellor of institutional support and success.

Manuel “Manny” L. Romero is now vice president of communications and external affairs at LaGuardia Community College in New York. Previously, he was executive director of public affairs at Borough of Manhattan Community College (New York).

Patricia Weaver has joined Pellissippi State Community College (Tennessee) as the school’s vice president for external affairs. She previously was vice president of workforce and economic development at Cleveland State Community College.

Teyanna L. Williams will serve as the new vice chancellor of human resources at the Los Angeles Community College District as of November 21. Since April, Williams has served as acting deputy chief of civil rights, racial equity and inclusion at Los Angeles Metro. Prior to that, she worked at Glendale Community College District as its associate vice president of human resources.

About the Author

Matthew Dembicki
Matthew Dembicki edits Community College Daily and serves as associate vice president of communications for the American Association of Community Colleges.
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