New CEOs
Joy Bodin will become president of Hennepin Technical College (HTC), effective immediately. She has served as interim president of Minnesota college since June 2022.
Previously, Bodin was vice president of academic and student affairs at Central Lakes College from 2017 to 2022. Prior to that, she served HTC from 1992 to 2017 in several capacities, including director of marketing and admissions, dean of industry, interim dean of students, and most recently as academic dean.
“As interim president, Joy has earned the trust of internal and external stakeholders,” Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, said in a release. “She has been very effective in engaging stakeholders around a forward-looking strategic vision, as well as positioning the college to serve the students in the most effective manner. This is Joy’s second stint at Hennepin Technical College and her leadership skills, expertise and experience are well aligned to the needs of the college.”
Lori Kloos is now president of St. Cloud Technical & Community College in Minnesota. She has served as interim president since July 2022.
Previously, Kloos — who has been at the Minnesota college since 1998 — was vice president of administration and chief financial officer from 2000 until 2022. She also had a previous stint there as interim president from 2017 to 2018 and as acting president in 2005 and 2022.
“Lori is a dedicated and principled leader with an analytical mind, keen attention to details, and excellent communication skills,” Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, said in a release. “She is well regarded and well connected with the greater St. Cloud community and the greater region and has been a critical member of the administration at St. Cloud Technical & Community College for over two decades. Lori will indeed be a steady hand and provide the strong leadership that the college and community are asking for.”
CEO on the move
Marta Yera Cronin has been selected as the next president of Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania. She is currently president of Oregon’s Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC).
A highly respected higher education administrator and a first-generation college student born of immigrant parents, Cronin has more than 30 years of experience in education, including more than two decades in the community college sector. Prior to CGCC, she served in various administrative and faculty roles at Indian River State College in Florida, including vice president of academic affairs, dean of education, department chair and full professor. She also has more than a decade of K-12 teaching experience in Florida.
Cronin is also active on boards of several regional, state and local organizations. She serves as co-chair of the Oregon Community College Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, co-chair of the board for the Oregon League of Minority Voters and president of the Comunidades board, a bi-state organization dedicated to advocating for and empowering Latino women and youth in the region.
Kudos
Mary Graham, president of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, has been recognized by the Mississippi Business Journal as one of the top CEOs in the state.
Graham was chosen for the honor because of her leadership at the college over the past 11 years and because of her service at both the state and national levels. She has served as board chair of the American Association of Community Colleges and as chair of the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Presidents Association. Graham also is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa presidential advisory board, Mississippi Power Association board of directors, Mississippi Humanities Council board of directors, and National Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute board. She was appointed to the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag and serves as co-chair for the Gulf Coast Restore Advisory Committee.
Marcia Conston, president of Tidewater Community College in Virginia, is among the 2022 recipients of Inside Business’s Women in Business Achievement Award, which celebrate women who have been successful in their business and careers, have made a significant impact on the business community and local economy, and have served as mentors and examples to others.
Obituaries
Richard D. DeCosmo, president emeritus of Delaware County Community College (DCCC) in Pennsylvania, passed away on January 12. He served as the college’s second president from 1980 until his retirement in 2003.
Under DeCosmo’s leadership, DCCC became even more visible, accessible and comprehensive, as well as increasingly recognized for its contributions to the county’s economic development. Enrollment rose significantly, new skill-based degree and certificate programs were added, and there was an increased focus on the needs of non-traditional students, according to a release from the college.
Among DeCosmo’s accomplishments was the building of a 37,000-square-foot addition to the college’s Academic Building, including a technology wing. He also created a new technological infrastructure featuring greater efficiencies and enhancements to learning. In addition, he oversaw the expansion of DCCC into Chester County, with new locations opening in Downingtown and Exton.
DeCosmo, who began his career in community colleges in 1958 as a professor of political science, also advocated for improved economic conditions for local residents through access to adult basic education, GED preparation and skill training.
“Dr. DeCosmo left an indelible mark on Delaware County Community College during his 23 years here, and he continued to stay involved with the institution he had so significantly shaped and expanded,” said DCCC President Joy Gates Black.
David E. Nixon, Monroe County Community College (MCCC) president emeritus, passed away on January 18 at age 83.
Nixon, who served as the Michigan college’s president from 2003 to 2013, was a visionary leader who dramatically expanded the level of support and awareness of the college’s mission and educational opportunities for students and citizens, according to the college.
“We are extremely grateful for the profound commitment Dr. Nixon had to MCCC, as he led us through such a dynamic period in the college’s history – a period that included major new facility construction, record enrollment, increasing endowments, new scholarships, and start-up of new programs and business partnerships. This period also included many challenges caused by dwindling resources and Michigan’s longest recession,” said MCCC President Kojo A. Quartey.
Among Nixon’s key accomplishments at MCCC:
- The opening in 2004 of the La-Z-Boy Center, an instructional facility for business training and the performing arts that hosts thousands of visitors each year.
- Strategic initiatives that resulted in a new brand identity in 2005 and updated mission, vision, core values and educational objectives in 2008.
- The establishment of an Upward Bound Program to support local at-risk high school students.
- The addition of numerous credit programs from 2007 to 2012, including practical nursing, nurse aide, nuclear engineering technology, heavy and industrial construction, renewable energy, nondestructive testing, and cybersecurity and information assurance.
- The opening of an MCCC Welding Center of Expertise and the construction in 2013 of the $17 million Career Technology Center.
Nixon came to MCCC in 2003 from Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC), where he was the chief administrative officer of the Emmertsburg Campus. Prior to that, he was an announcer and news anchor at radio stations in Nebraska and Iowa, and had a lifelong passion for journalism. He later developed a broadcasting program at ILCC. In 1997, Nixon received the Jack Shelley Excellence in Broadcasting Award, the highest honor awarded by the Iowa Broadcast News Association.
Appointments
Paul Czarapata, president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, has been elected to lead the 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global) board for 2023. 1EdTech is a member-based, non-profit partnership of leading educational institutions from K-12 to higher education, government organizations and edtech suppliers, collaborating to enable better digital teaching and learning for all. The organization has more than 870 members worldwide.
Corey Campbell is the new vice president for academic affairs at Cleveland State Community College in Tennessee. He comes from Jefferson Community College in New York, where he was vice president for student engagement and retention.
Kell Smith has been named executive director of the Mississippi Community College Board. He has served in an interim role in that position since July. Smith has worked for the board since 2008, starting as director of communications and legislative services.
Bradford Williams is now vice chancellor of operations at Dallas College in Texas. In addition to serving as president of the El Centro Campus since 2021, Williams has spent the last six months as interim chief marketing officer at Dallas College.
At the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), Jennie Johnson is now vice president for workforce partnerships, and Rich Sullivan will serve as vice president for administration and finance, effective February 6. For the past 16 years, Johnson — an alumna of CCRI — has served as executive director and senior vice president for City Year Providence. Sullivan most recently was CFO and treasurer for Vinfen Corporation, a not-for-profit, community-based health and human services organization.
