CEO on the move
Maria Angélica Garcia will serve as the next superintendent/president of Santa Rosa Junior College in California starting on July 1. She is currently president of Berkeley City College (BCC), where she has served since 2020.
“Dr. Garcia is an equity-minded educational leader who is passionate about issues of access, equity and student success in higher education. She is known for inclusive and strategic leadership,” the college’s board said in a release, noting her work on guided pathways, apprenticeship programs, dual enrollment and through community outreach for K-12 students and adult learners.
The board cited Garcia’s other accolades, which include serving as co-founder and vice president of the California Organización de Latinx Empowerment, Guidance, Advocacy for Success, a statewide group committed to supporting and advocating for Latinx student success. She is also a Leadership Fellow with the National Community College Hispanic Council.
Prior to BCC, Garcia was vice president of student services at Skyline College, where she led the Promise Scholars Program, created the student equity and support programs division, provided leadership for the implementation of guided pathways, and led college and district-wide efforts to address food and housing insecurity experienced by students.
New CEOs
Milan Hayward will become the fourth president of West Virginia’s Pierpont Community & Technical College (PCTC) in mid-June. He is currently vice president of career and corporate training at Virginia West Community College, a position he has held for six years.
The PCTC board noted that Hayward’s experience in workforce development, grant development, community outreach and building partnerships with K-12 school systems fits well with Pierpont’s vision of the future. Hayward’s spirit of collaboration was noted often by his references, board leaders said.
Hayward joined the community college sector in 1998 as a full-time automobile technology faculty member at Northern Virginia Community College — his alma mater — after working for a decade in the automotive service industry. He rose up the ranks as program director, special assistant in academic affairs for career and technical education, dean of science and applied technologies, and executive director of the college’s grants and sponsored projects office.
Hayward also served as a director of a major U.S. Department of Labor consortium initiative to serve trade-impacted adult and underrepresented learners.
Tiffany Hernandez is the next president of Glendale Community College (GCC). She will join the college, which is part of Arizona’s Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), on July 10.
Hernandez is currently vice president for student success at San Antonio College (SAC) in Texas and also serves as the college’s accreditation liaison to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges. In addition, she led the substantive change review and site visit for approval as a baccalaureate-granting institution to offer a bachelor’s degree in nursing, the first baccalaureate approved in the Alamo Colleges District, according to a release.
The GCC presidential selection committee noted Hernandez’s enthusiasm, energy and expertise. It also cited her collaborative leadership and contribution to SAC receiving the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the Seal of Exceléncia from Exceléncia in Education.
“Her recent experience with baccalaureate degrees and the accreditation process will be invaluable as MCCCD launches our high-demand bachelor’s degrees this fall and works to develop future program offerings,” said MCCCD Chancellor Steven Gonzales. “Dr. Hernandez’s collaborative leadership style will positively impact students, faculty, staff and the surrounding GCC community as we work together to expand our in-demand workforce programs and training opportunities.”
Alfred McQuarters will serve as the next permanent president of the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC), beginning July 1.
Quarters is currently vice president of instruction at Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon, as position he has held since July 2019. In that position, he oversees the college’s general education, transfer and career technical education programs, workforce development and apprenticeships, small business development center, aquatics center, athletics, adult and community education, library services, student success programs, and high school services that include several dual-enrollment programs. He was also instrumental in establishing the first bachelor of applied science degree in cybersecurity at a community college in Oregon, according to a release.
McQuarters also has served as dean of career technical education-STEM at Portland Community College Southeast, and as a tenured faculty member and chair at Malcolm X College in the City Colleges of Chicago system, as well as an adjunct faculty member at several Illinois and Michigan community colleges.
Los Angeles Community College Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez noted that McQuarters has the skill set to help the college develop effective partnerships with industry and philanthropic organizations and with the community.
“The ability to co-create conditions which will provide economic and social mobility throughout LA county brings me immense joy,” McQuarters said in the announcement.
Dewayne Middleton will serve as the ninth president of Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi, effective July 1. He is currently the college’s executive vice president.
“Co-Lin has been part of my life for nearly 30 years, first as a student-athlete here and then the place I was fortunate to build my career,” Middleton said. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue to strengthen our institution as we work to offer the highest quality education to our students and communities.”
Prior to his current position, Middleton was vice president of Co-Lin’s Simpson County Center for seven years. Other posts he has held at the college include dean of student services at the Simpson County Center, academic advisor/instructor, Upward Bound coordinator and assistant men’s and women’s basketball coach. He has also served as an adjunct graduate professor at Alcorn State University.
Middleton also serves on the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools’ Substantive Change Committee Review Team as well as on its On-Site Committee Review Team, and on the Mississippi Community College Board Review Team for OCR and ADA Compliance.
Kristen Raney is the next president of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, effective July 1. She will be the first female and eighth president in the college’s 111-year history.
Raney is currently vice chancellor for academic affairs at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. She has more than 20 years of higher education experience at institutions across the Midwest, strengthening shared governance practices and leading innovative models for student success, according to a release.
The college’s board noted it selected Raney not only on her background but because her values aligned with our college’s mission and needs of higher education.
“I am passionate about higher education because it changes lives and strengthens our communities,” Raney said. “NWTC’s focus on serving its students and preparing a strong workforce is truly impressive.”
Raney has significant experience in both academic and student affairs. She previously worked at Saint Paul College in Minnesota where she was dean of students and interim vice president of student affairs before becoming the vice president of academic affairs. She started her community college career as a part-time instructional assistant at Chippewa Valley Technical College in Wisconsin. She held a range of positions in her 12 years there, from faculty to dean of academic development and services.
Appointments
The Biden administration has announced two appointments with community college ties to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities: Constance Carroll, president emerita of the San Diego Community College District (California) and Maria Angélica Garcia, president of Berkeley City College (California).
The committee facilitates public-private partnerships, promotes interagency cooperation, and proposes programs that enhance arts, humanities, museums and library services across the country. Other appointees include Lady Gaga, George Clooney, Shonda Rhimes and other distinguished artists and scholars.
“Community colleges across this country are anchors of democracy that often serve as the cultural centers of diverse communities, in many cases being the only spaces where the arts, humanities and libraries are accessible,” Garcia said in a statement. “I am humbled by this appointment and am eager to be both learner and teacher on the committee.”
“The arts and humanities are central to our understanding of history, cultures, expression and the myriad issues associated with the quality of life, both in America and around the world,” Carroll said in a release. “I look forward to this opportunity for national service and to contributing to the work of the committee in shaping policy, addressing issues, and identifying opportunities in these fields.”
Carroll was nominated in 2011 by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve on the National Humanities Council, which is affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities, a position she still holds.
Jan Knox has been promoted to vice president of college advancement at North Carolina’s Guilford Technical Community College. She previously was associate vice president of marketing and communications.
Sanjay Rai, senior vice president for academic affairs at Montgomery College in Maryland, will be acting secretary of Maryland’s Higher Education Commission, effective early May.
Rai provides a “unique and valuable perspective on the need for postsecondary education to align with academic and workforce needs,” according to a release from the office of Gov. Wes Moore, noting Rai also helped to create programs to serve the needs of emerging industries like cloud computing, cybersecurity, cell and gene therapy, and data science.
In the announcement, Rai said it is important to create an inclusive higher education system that provides meaningful and affordable access to higher education and workforce training to all residents.
“We will ensure that homegrown talent combined with research advancements will make Maryland a prime destination for employers around the nation and the world for relocating, starting and expanding their businesses,” he said.
