New CEO
Jennifer Wilbanks will serve as the next president of Central Carolina Technical College (South Carolina), beginning in mid-October. She currently is executive vice president for academics and workforce development at South Carolina’s Horry-Georgetown Technical College.
Wilbanks has more than 22 years of experience in higher education, previously serving at Piedmont Technical College in various leadership roles, including assistant vice president for academics, dean of county campuses, interim dean for engineering and industrial technology and director of dual enrollment, as well as instructor, outreach counselor and career transition specialist, according to a release. She is also a graduate of the American Association of Community Colleges’ Future Presidents Institute and the South Carolina Technical College System Leadership Academy.
Wilbanks was the 2024-25 chair of the statewide Chief Academic Officers and in 2023 was named Educator of the Year in the administrative category by the South Carolina Technical Education Association. She has also served on several Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accreditation committees.
Retirement announcements
Cathie Cline, chancellor of University of Arkansas — East Arkansas Community College (UA-EACC) since 2017, has announced her plans to retire on July 1, 2026.
Among Cline’s achievements as CEO is guiding the college’s mergers. She led the merger of EACC and Crowley’s Ridge Technical Institute in 2018, and she led the institution through regulatory approvals and its transition into the UA system in 2024.
Cline said in a release that the timing of completing the institution’s 2024 merger and the momentum the institution has coincides with a desire to spend more time with family and move into the next phase of life.
“The effectiveness this institution has shown under Dr. Cline’s leadership is second to none,” said Alan Curtis, chair of the UA-EACC Board of Visitors. “She’s been a staple in this community and region for many years and deeply cares about student success and the people she works with on a daily basis. We all hate to see her retire, but she’s leaving a mark and a legacy on this institution that will be tough to match.”
Cline has helped shepherd the college in offering new programs in growing industries. In 2021, UA-EACC received an Innovation Award from the Arkansas Community Development Society for the state’s first CDL program for high school students. The college was also one of the first to offer high school LPN and EMT basic programs, according to a release. In addition, UA-EACC recently launched an innovative partnership with ARcare to address the rural nursing shortage in Arkansas.
Cline is also known as a state and national leader. She currently serves as chair of the Arkansas Community Colleges executive council and is a member of the Board of Examiners (Level III) for the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce’s Governor’s Quality Award. In 2023, Cline was elected to the ARE-ON board of directors, a statewide technology service organization that provides technical expertise, cloud connections and cost-effective network services to institutions of higher education throughout the state. Cline also serves on the National Economic Development and Workforce Commission of the American Association of Community Colleges, as well as on the Advisory Committee of Presidents for the Association of Community College Trustees.
Cline previously was UA-EACC’s associate vice president for general studies.
James O. Sawyer IV, president of Macomb Community College (MCC) in Michigan, has announced his plans to retire on June 30, 2026. He has led the college since 2017.
Prior to being CEO, Sawyer served at Macomb in various roles over 15 years. He joined MCC in 2002 as dean of engineering and advanced technology and was later named vice provost for career programs before becoming provost and senior vice president of the learning unit.
Katherine Bracey Lorenzo, chair of board of trustees, praised Sawyer for his leadership in some turbulent times.
“Under his leadership, we’ve shared a journey that took higher education in previously inconceivable directions,” she said. “From extensive online and remote learning options to incredible advances in the college’s skilled trades and manufacturing programs to responding to unprecedented federal mandates, we’ve seen Dr. Sawyer deftly problem-solve with integrity and a deep commitment to students, faculty, staff and community. We’ve flourished as a place of learning and belonging because of Dr. Sawyer. And, as he steps down, we celebrate a legacy of service, achievement and heart.”
The college listed several of Sawyer’s achievements as president, including pulling together resources and responding quickly during the Covid pandemic. It also cited his focus on growing workforce development opportunities, such as establishing a new dental science program and dental clinic in 2021 and opening the Skilled Trades and Advanced Technology Center in 2023. Under his leadership, Macomb also secured a $15.4 million Navy investment to create a state-of-the-art maritime skilled trades.
Other highlights during Sawyer’s term as CEO are the college’s tuition-free program launched in 2023 and enhancing safety and security on Macomb’s campuses.
Charlotte Warren, who has served as president of Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) in Illinois since 2006, has announced that she plans to retire in June 2026. At that time, she will have led the college for 20 years.
Under Warren’s leadership, LLCC added four new facilities and renovated nine others throughout the college’s 15-county district, according to a release. Warren also developed the college’s workforce training, grown healthcare education programs and expanded opportunities. She has helped to secure millions of dollars in gift and grant funding for the college, including an $18 million gift benefiting LLCC’s agriculture program and a partnership with a health system to address the nursing shortage, in addition to constructing a Nursing Education Center.
“Dr. Warren leaves a legacy that will shape our college for generations to come,” said state Rep. Wayne Rosenthal, chair of the LLCC board of trustees. “She has been a tireless advocate for student success, innovation and excellence. Her visionary leadership has fueled transformative projects across the college and expanded meaningful connections with community partners.”
Warren also serves in leadership roles on national, state and local levels. She is a board member of the American Association of Community Colleges and past president of the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents. She is a retired colonel and honorary brigadier general for the Georgia National Guard (serving for 21 years) and was on the Reserve Forces Policy Board in Washington, D.C.
Prior to LLCC, Warren was president of the Community College Alliance and vice president of the Virtual Campus at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. From 2002 to 2005, she was provost of the Lawrenceville campus of Georgia Perimeter College (GPC), and she served at the college as assistant academic vice president for continuing and corporate education at GPC Clarkston. From 1997 to 2000, Warren was chair of the nursing department at GPC Clarkston. She was a psychotherapist in private practice from 1992 to 1998 and taught in research universities and community college settings for 30 years.
Kudos
Juan Salgado, chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago, has received the Liderazgo Visionario CEO Award from the National Community College Hispanic Council, an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges. The award honors a CEO whose visionary leadership has significantly benefited their community college and its Hispanic student population.
Salgado, a community college graduate and MacArthur Fellow, has led City Colleges of Chicago – Illinois’ largest community college system serving over 66,000 students, the majority of whom are Black and Latinx – since 2017.
Under Salgado’s guidance, the Chicago community college system has reached record-high graduation rates and implemented groundbreaking initiatives, including Fresh Start (a debt-forgiveness program), Future Ready (offering no-cost short-term credentials), the Chicago Roadmap (a partnership with Chicago Public Schools) and a significant expansion of dual-enrollment opportunities, according to a release.
Appointments
Angela O. Cardenas has joined Holyoke Community College (Massachusetts) as chief of operations in the office of the president. She previously was a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
At Normandale Community College in Minnesota, Mustafa Dualeh is the new coordinator of Sirtify, a program to empower Black men in education and positively impact all students, especially those from similar backgrounds. He previously was a senior academic advisor at Northwestern University in Qatar.
Jennifer McFadyen Hammond has been appointed executive director of Fayetteville Technical Community College Foundation (North Carolina). She most recently was manager of business services for the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation.
Katharine Marvin has been named vice president of college advancement at Northwestern Michigan College. She previously was the college’s director of development and alumni relations.
Vicky López Sánchez is now vice president of student affairs at Portland Community College (PCC) in Oregon. She had served in an interim role for the position for the past year. Previously, López Sánchez was PCC’s executive dean of K-12 and community partnerships.
Shane Pablo is the new chief information officer (CIO) at Coconino Community College in Arizona. He has served in the college’s information technology services department for more than a decade, most recently as interim CIO.
At Albany Technical College (ATC) in Georgia, Courtney L. James has been named director of enrollment and Niquacha Snead joins as the college’s registrar. Snead was most recently ATC’s retention coordinator and James was an admissions counselor/recruiter at the college.
