Interim CEO

Diane Duffy will become interim chancellor of the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), effective July 1. Since 2018, she has served as the system’s executive vice chancellor and chief strategy officer.
Duffy has more than three decades of experience in higher education leadership, finance and policy, according to a release from CCCS. She has played a critical role in strengthening CCCS operations, advancing systemwide initiatives and expanding opportunities for students, it says.
“Having worked alongside her on the 2030 Strategic Plan, I have seen firsthand her ability to build trust, listen deeply, and drive meaningful change,” Landon Mascareñaz, chair of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education, said of Duffy. “CCCS is in excellent hands with Diane at the helm, and we are grateful for her leadership at this pivotal moment.”
Prior to CCCS, Duffy worked as business services director for the Graduate School at the University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus. Previously, she served nearly four years at the Colorado Department of Higher Education, first as chief financial officer, then chief operating officer and interim executive director. From 2006 to 2014, Duffy was vice president of finance and administration for the Kansas Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s 19 community colleges and six technical colleges. Before working in postsecondary education, Duffy was deputy secretary for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.
Appointments
Rolita Flores Ezeonu will serve as Highline College‘s interim vice president for academic affairs, beginning March 3. She comes to the Washington college from Green River College, where she was vice president of instruction since 2018.
James Vasquez is the new regional director of the Small Business Development Center at the College of Southern Maryland. He previously was a start-up business consultant.