CEO on the move
Steven Bloomberg will serve as the next chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges in Arizona, as of July 1. He is currently chancellor of the Kern Community College District in California, which includes Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso Community College and Porterville College.
Bloomberg brings more than 30 years of higher education leadership experience, having served in executive leadership roles in Arkansas, California, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas, according to Maricopa. He has led initiatives focused on workforce development, student success, institutional operations, strategic planning and community partnerships.
“Dr. Bloomberg brings decades of higher education leadership experience across multiple states and is widely recognized as a student-centered leader who is visible, transparent and deeply engaged with the communities he serves,” said Linda Thor, the college district’s board president. “He is known as a strong communicator who listens thoughtfully to students, employees and community stakeholders, and we look forward to his leadership.”
Prior to leading the Kern district, Bloomberg was president of Southeast Arkansas College and executive vice president and chief operating officer at Oklahoma City Community College.
New presidents
Laurie A. Boeding has been named the fourth president of the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) in South Carolina, effective July 1. She comes from Trident Technical College (TTC) in South Carolina, where she is vice president for academic affairs.
Boeding brings more than two decades of higher education experience and a record of expanding student access, strengthening workforce pathways and driving measurable improvements in student outcomes, according to TCL.
“Her experience, leadership and commitment to student success make her the right person to build on the college’s momentum and strengthen TCL’s impact throughout the Lowcountry,” Randy Dolyniuk, chair of the TCL Area Commission, said in a release.
Boeding has served Trident Tech for more than 23 years, holding various leadership positions, including campus dean, academic dean, associate dean and department chair. She began her career at TTC as a faculty member teaching information technology and cybersecurity.
She also brings professional experience as a Department of Defense contractor and in federal civil service.
Boeding also serves on the board of directors and associate degree board of commissioners for the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, the American Technical Education Association and the Charleston Regional Development Alliance’s Economic Leadership Council.
Ken Flowers has been named the 11th president of Michigan’s Lake Michigan College (LMC), his alma mater, where he has served since 1997.
Throughout his career at LMC, Flowers has focused on connecting technical education to workforce opportunity, developing apprenticeship models, expanding advanced manufacturing programs and building regional industry partnerships, according to an announcement from the college.
After earning his associate degree in 1991 while simultaneously completing a Department of Labor moldmaking apprenticeship, Flowers worked as a journeyman and mold design engineer at Hanson Mold. He returned to LMC in 1997 as a part-time machine shop instructor. He then took on progressively senior roles, starting as a full-time faculty member, then department chair, dean of career and workforce education, provost and vice president of academics, and executive vice president, where he led the integration of academic and student affairs.
“I have experienced Lake Michigan College as a student trying to find my way, as a tradesman building a career and as an instructor.” Flowers said. “That perspective shapes how I lead.”
Melissa Frank-Alston will serve as the seventh president — and the first female CEO — of Northeastern Technical College in South Carolina, effective July 1.
Frank-Alston is an experienced leader with 30 years in higher education. She comes from Augusta Technical College (Georgia), where she has worked in various vice presidential roles since 2005. She most recently served as the college’s provost and institutional accreditation liaison to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. She also was interim president of the college in 2025 for eight months.
Frank-Alston currently serves on the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Commission on Student Success, and in 2023 completed the AACC Future Presidents Institute. Frank-Alston has also served on the foundation board of directors of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Agriculture and on the board of directors of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, the Southeastern Association of Community College Research and the Georgia Cancer Center Community Advisory Board at Augusta University.
Tracee Watts has been appointed the ninth president of Galveston College, joining the Texas college on July 1. She is currently senior vice president of student success and advancement at Brazosport College (Texas).
Throughout her career, Watts has championed student success, enrollment growth, workforce partnerships, dual-enrollment expansion and institutional advancement, Galveston College said in a release.
“Her collaborative leadership style, vision, and student-centered approach will help Galveston College continue to grow and serve our community for years to come,” said board chair Carolyn L. Sunseri.
During her nearly 10 years at Brazosport College, Watts also has served as vice president of college advancement and development officer. Prior to that, she was program director/director of development at the BACH Rehabilitation Center and a district scheduler and caseworker for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Watts, who is a CFRE International-certified fundraising executive, is an active advocate for community colleges, serving on the Texas Association of Community College Foundations board and the government relations advocacy team for Texas Community Colleges.
Interim CEO
Kimberly Lynch will serve as interim president of Minnesota’s Central Lakes College, effective July 1. She is currently associate vice chancellor for educational development and technologies at Minnesota State, a position she has held since 2014.
Lynch “is a strategic thinker with a passion for helping faculty and staff to bring innovation to the forefront to help students succeed, and I am confident she will be a steady and effective leader for Central Lakes College during this year of transition,” said Scott Olson, Minnesota State chancellor.
Lynch has previously served in two interim positions within Minnesota State: interim vice president for academic affairs at Northwest Technical College in 2022, and interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs for Minnesota State (2017 to 2018). From 2012 to 2014, she was dean of science, technology, engineering, Math (STEM) and computer networking at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, where she also served earlier as dean of innovative teaching and learning. Prior to moving into administrative roles, she was an English faculty member.
Kudos
Elva LeBlanc, chancellor and CEO of Tarrant County College, has been recognized among the 500 most influential North Texans by the business magazine Fort Worth Inc. This is her third time making the annual list, which celebrates the city’s most influential leaders across business, government, philanthropy, education and culture. LeBlanc was recognized for her leadership in positioning the college for growth defined by student achievement, marketplace responsiveness and community impact.
“We are preparing the workforce North Texas needs, and often before North Texas asks. That means listening to industry and building a bridge between education and employment that brings long-term opportunity,” she said in a release.
Courtney Larson, program manager for the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) at the American Association of Community Colleges, has received the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference’s Unsung Hero of the Year Award, which recognizes an individual who plays a crucial behind-the-scenes role in supporting a National Science Foundation ATE-funded grant. The award acknowledges the selected individual’s unwavering commitment, resourcefulness and the essential support they provide in advancing technology education and workforce development.
Appointments
Brandon Johnson will become director of athletics and student engagement at Virginia’s Patrick & Henry Community College, effective June 10. Most recently, he served as head football coach at a local high school, where he also had an administrative role.
Michelle McGowan is now vice president for economic development at South Georgia Technical College. She previously served at the college as assistant vice president for academic affairs and director of business and industry services for the Crisp County Center.
Chris M. Snoddy will join Black Hawk College (Illinois) as its next vice president for student services, effective July 1. He currently is associate vice president for student affairs and student success at Oklahoma City Community College.
