New CEO
Andrew W. White will be the next president of Cleveland State Community College in Tennessee, as of April 1. He most recently was senior director of the Fast Forward program at Belmont University and previously was dean of the business and technology division at Volunteer State Community College (Tennessee).
“I look forward to serving the college’s students and the faculty, staff and community partners who support them,” he said in a release. “Cleveland State has been transforming and enriching the lives of students and fueling the economic success of southeast Tennessee for decades. It’s an honor to join the team that is carrying on that great tradition.”
After a 20-year career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, White joined the University of Tennessee in 2007 and held administrative roles in UT’s Haslam College of Business before joining Volunteer State in 2019.
Retirement announcements
Cynthia Bambara, president of Allegany College of Maryland since 2011, has announced her intent to retire in January 2025. She is the college’s fifth president and its first woman president.
Bambara’s student-first approach at Allegany College of Maryland has led to dynamic gains in education access, support services and community partnerships, according to a release. For example, she collaborated with IBM, Northrop Grumman, Provision IAM and others to develop the Western Maryland IT Center of Excellence to train entry-level professionals for the regional IT field.
In addition, Bambara expanded early college access in Maryland and Pennsylvania, apprenticeship and internship programs, and online courses and degree programs, including an online LPN-to-RN nursing program that is accredited in 16 states, according to the college. She also helped to lead various student-focused efforts, such as a food and supply pantry, peering mentoring program and a scholarship to help students afford to join the college’s chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.
Bambara has received local, regional and national recognition for her service in higher education. In 2016, she received Phi Theta Kappa’s (PTK) Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction. She currently serves on PTK’s advisory board and represents Maryland as a member of the Community Colleges of Appalachia board of directors. Bambara is the past chair of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges and a member of its President’s Council. She is also a peer evaluator and a four-time team chair for Middle States Commission on Higher Education and a mentor to new college presidents.
Prior to Allegany College, Bambara was interim president of Central Virginia Community College and vice president of student success at Lord Fairfax Community College in Virginia.
Morna K. Foy, who has served as president of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) since 2012, has announced her plans to retire later this year.
Foy joined the system in 1998 as a policy advisor, and later served as special assistant to the interim president and vice president of policy and government relations. Prior to WTCS, she was senior program evaluation supervisor for the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau.
During her tenure at WTCS, Foy championed the system’s collaborative culture and demonstrated student outcomes, according to a release. She developed new partnerships with employers, industry organizations and education philanthropies. Foy also advanced significant growth in dual-enrollment opportunities for high school students, stackable credentials, transfer pathways and student success outcomes. In 2020, she testified in Congress before the House higher education subcommittee about the array of apprenticeship efforts in Wisconsin and how they work.
“Twelve years ago, we asked Morna to elevate awareness of, and appreciation for, technical colleges and their graduate outcomes,” said WTCS Board President S. Mark Tyler. “She has and continues to meet that challenge by expanding the System’s reputation for relevant, rigorous, flexible, and student-focused programs and services that respond to the changing talent needs of Wisconsin’s employers.”
Kudos
Steven R. Gonzales, chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges, was a guest of Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Arizona) for the president’s State of the Union address last Thursday. In a press release, Stanton recognized the Maricopa system as one of the largest community college districts in the country, and a leading provider of workforce development training in fast-growing industries like semiconductor manufacturing and the biosciences.
“Thanks to targeted federal investments, Arizona’s economy is booming — and Maricopa Community Colleges is rising to meet the moment,” Stanton said. “Dr. Gonzalez and the dedicated MCCCD faculty and staff are working to prepare Arizona students to fill high-paying jobs in these industries of the future.”
Ronald P. Gerhard, chancellor of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District in California, has received the prestigious Harry Buttimer Distinguished Administrator Award from the Association of California Community College Administrators. The Distinguished Administrator Award celebrates leaders in the college system who exemplify integrity, compassion and strength in leadership, among other attributes.
“Ron operates through a lens of prioritizing student success and DEIAA, while understanding the importance and contributions of our workforce,” said Wyman Fong, vice chancellor of human resources at the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, who was among those who nominated Gerhard. “This drives his integrity and compassion, and often the resilience needed, when there are competing interests.”
Demond Hargrove, vice president of student development at UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ, is the 2024 recipient of the Chester Holmes Humanitarian Award from the Union County Board of County Commissioners. He was recognized for his work at the college, specifically on initiatives for first-generation college students, African American students and Hispanic students. Under Hargrove’s leadership, the college has seen the addition of student success campaigns, a growing diverse student population and increased graduation rates.
Appointments
Lynn Tincher-Ladner, president and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society for community college students, has been appointed by President Joe Biden to serve on the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. The 12-member panel supervises the Fulbright Program and certain programs authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act that serve as an international educational exchange program for students, teachers, scholars and administrators. Tincher-Ladner is also on the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) board of directors. PTK is an affiliated council of AACC.
Anna B. Graham has been named the new dean of Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus. She had served as interim dean at the Tennessee college since fall 2023. Graham joined Pellissippi State in 2022 as director of annual giving and scholarships following 14 years as a high school counselor.
