Nobody likes feeling stuck in their career, says Howard Spearman, president of Rock Valley College (Illinois). In fact, Spearman’s dedication to creating succession pathways at Rock Valley is directly shaped by his own experiences, he adds.
“I’ve been in roles where I didn’t have other opportunities to showcase my skills, so I promised myself I wouldn’t be that way as a leader,” Spearman says. “It’s important for people to understand that they have a career trajectory. When you’re working with talent on a daily basis, it’s not our job to stifle that talent. We want to empower them to highlight their skills. When we do that, the students on campus are better for it.”
This article is an excerpt from the current issue of the Community College Journal, published bimonthly by the American Association of Community Colleges.
A message from Spearman on the Rock Valley website underscores the impact of a strong, student-focused environment: “It means you are a part of something bigger than yourself. It means you have a community of faculty, staff, administrators and fellow students who are here to support you.”
Rock Valley’s leadership development prioritizes skill-building and preparation, actively supporting employees in obtaining postgraduate degrees that equip them for executive roles. What started as a lunch-and-learn concept in 2013 has evolved into a campus-wide initiative that inspires professionals to better their long-term prospects, says Spearman.
Ideally, employees with newly minted doctorates will “find their authentic selves” at Rock Valley. Yet, the president does not expect employees to stay tied to the institution should they find a better opportunity elsewhere. Though creating an internal succession pipeline would be a perfect scenario, maintaining a stable and predictable environment for students remains at the forefront, Spearman says.
Despite the scarcity of skilled talent in higher education, Spearman encourages anyone advancing their academic qualifications at Rock Valley to seize career happiness wherever they find it.
“I say commit to two or three years of professional development here, and there will be great opportunities either here or at another college or university,” Spearman says. “I find that when you instill trust and confidence in your colleagues, you’re more likely to understand the heartbeat of the campus.”
Anything you can do…
Any Rock Valley employee completing a degree has a limited amount of tuition reimbursement by the college. All five original lunch-and-learn participants at the college successfully completed doctoral degrees, which included presenting their dissertations to a panel of administrators. Open dissertation readings on Zoom led even more faculty to take the same path.
“We thought what would it be like if you pursued a dissertation through the lens of your colleagues,” Spearman says. “We have dialogues asking how we can help, and now we have a community of learners focused on their dissertations. This is a place where you hear these stories, and people are saying, ‘If you can do it, then I can, too.’”
As more college leaders consider retirement, any absence of strategy for identifying talent can lead to leadership gaps, notes Los Rios Community College District Chancellor Brian King.
“In a time when finding leadership is increasingly difficult — and more potential leaders are uncertain they want to assume a role — succession planning is crucial in starting the process long before a transition will happen,” King says.
King announced his retirement as chancellor of the district in March, effective at the end of the 2025-26 academic year. Next year will mark King’s 13th with Los Rios, which serves 70,000 students in the Sacramento, California, region.
Over the last decade, King has overseen the opening of two regional outreach centers. He also established the Los Rios Promise Program, designed to eliminate tuition costs for qualifying first-time, full-time students. As he prepares for retirement, King is pleased to leave behind a system renowned as a top performer in the state.
“The district is in wonderful shape, and it’s just the right time to pass the torch to someone who can take us to even greater heights,” King says.
King’s announcement gives the district a year to find his replacement. Los Rios will utilize an executive search firm in the meantime, with King prioritizing the financial well-being of the district and maintenance of a strong leadership team.
Giving his successor room to operate independently is another goal of King’s moving forward, he says.
“Years ago, I talked to a president nearing retirement who said that when a president retires, he should be executed or leave town,” says King, tongue in cheek. “A new leader does not want to be looking over their shoulder. I love my district and want to see it do well, which means giving a successor space to establish their own identity, and not worry about the old guy who just retired.”
Finding ‘good people’
While King will provide the incoming chancellor with names of key supporters, distribution of institutional knowledge remains a team effort, he says.
“That (knowledge) is passed through the staff we’ve built,” King says. “It’s never been about me, but making good decisions through the organization. The perception of Los Rios is that we’re a great place to work. Preserving that reality is incredibly important in succession and leadership changes.”
Internal promotions can create a continuity that only cements the district’s reputation, King says. To that end, the current chancellor meets with rising deans and other staff to gauge their interest in future leadership positions. These conversations debunk myths that top higher-ed jobs are an impossibly difficult undertaking, or so unpleasant that “good people” won’t take the role.
King uses interviews to assess not only competence, but also a candidate’s readiness to withstand criticism.
“People are good at saying what they do, but the key is understanding what they’ve accomplished, and what risks they’re willing to take,” King says. “You may not be universally loved when doing hard things. Higher education can be resistant to change, so it’s critical for leaders to manage that change and have empathy for those impacted.”
