CEO on the move
Maria A. Pharr will become the first woman president of Pitt Community College in North Carolina, effective August 13. She is currently president of South Piedmont Community College (SPCC), a post she has held for seven years.
Under her leadership, the North Carolina college has seen record enrollment growth, experienced transformative updates and expansions to its physical locations, and received national recognition for initiatives to eliminate barriers to higher education, according to SPCC.
“While her time at South Piedmont has come to an end, Dr. Pharr’s contributions to this college will live on for generations to come. She has led South Piedmont with vision, heart and unwavering dedication,” said SPCC board chair Bill Norwood.
Prior to SPCC, Pharr served for three years as executive director of BioNetwork and Life Science Initiatives, a workforce development program within the North Carolina Community College System that supports the state’s bioscience industry. Before that, she was assistant vice president for academic affairs at Pitt Community College, and also served at Craven Community College as dean of arts and sciences, director of planning and assessment and other positions.
Kudos
Dena McCaffrey, president of Jefferson College, has been selected by the St. Louis Business Journal for its 2024 Most Influential Business Women Award. The awards program, created in 1999, annually recognizes the accomplishments of the region’s women business leaders.
The publication will profile McCaffrey — who has served as president for the past four years over her 17 years at the Missouri college — and 24 other women receiving the award in a special section in its August 9 edition.
Appointments
Robert Budach is now vice president of administrative services at Mesa Community College in Arizona. He most recently was senior director of asset management, contracts and compliance at Arizona State University.
Cecily Freeman is the new executive director of the Jackson State Community College Foundation in Tennessee. She previously was executive director of the Nashville State Community College Foundation.
William Reyes-Cubides was recently named assistant vice president of academic affairs and student success at Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts. He comes from California’s San Jose City College, where he was dean of humanities, social science and arts.
