Interim president
Amanda Morris Foreman has been named interim president of Coastal Pines Technical College. She has served as the Georgia college’s executive vice president since 2021 and vice president for academic affairs since 2016.
“Amanda has dedicated her career to serving students and strengthening technical education in southeast Georgia, and she has been an integral part of Coastal Pines Technical College’s success,” Greg Dozier, commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, said in a release. “Her extensive experience, strong relationships throughout the region, and deep understanding of the college will provide steady leadership during this transition.”
Foreman began her career at Okefenokee Technical College in 1999, serving in a number of instructional and leadership positions during her 15 years with the college, according to a release. Following the creation of Coastal Pines Technical College, she served as dean for academic affairs, secondary initiatives and general education from 2014 to 2016.
Obituary
Vernon O. Crawley, who served as president of Moraine Valley Community College (Illinois) for 21 years, passed away on May 30. He was 89.
During his tenure as CEO from 1991 until his retirement in 2012, Crawley steered the college’s growth in physical expansion, enrollment, and student success. He led the passage of an $89 million capital bond referendum that expanded the campus from the last temporary trailers to its current campus. He also oversaw the opening of the college’s two extension centers in Blue Island and Tinley Park and, in the last 10 years of his presidency, guided the college to a 25% increase in enrollment. His focus on student success continues to shape the experiences of students, faculty, staff and the community.
“Dr. Crawley’s lasting contributions continue to guide and inspire our work today. While his accomplishments as president were remarkable, those who knew him also will remember his integrity, wisdom and unwavering dedication to students and education,” President Pamela J. Haney said in a statement. “The loss of Dr. Crawley will be deeply felt throughout our campus community.”
Well-known in his field, Crawley served on the board of noted national organizations, including the boards of the American Association of Community Colleges, the League for Innovation in the Community College, Community Colleges for International Development; the American Council on Education’s Commission on Minorities in Higher Education and the American Council on Black American Affairs, among others.
Crawley also was recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the 2009 Association of Community College Trustees’ (ACCT) National Marie Y. Martin CEO Award, the 2009 ACCT Central Region CEO Award, the Pacesetter Award from the National Council on Marketing and Public Relations; the Outstanding Leadership Award from the National Council on Black American Affairs and the 2012 Phi Theta Kappa Michael Bennett Lifetime Achievement Award. Moraine Valley created the Vernon O. Crawley Leadership Award to honor administrative staff who demonstrate his leadership qualities.
Prior to his presidency at Moraine, Crawley served for 13 years as president of St. Louis Community College at Forest Park and as an academic dean at Mercer County Community College in New Jersey. He also served in administrative and faculty positions at Dundalk Community College in Maryland, a college he helped to found. He also held positions at Pennsylvania State University, Morgan State University and Towson University.
Prior to his time in education, Crawley was an administrative specialist in science for NASA in Washington, D.C. and a chemist at the Stuart Products Company in Virginia.
Appointments
Laura Hastings is the new dean of workforce development at Northern Essex Community College in Massachusetts. Most recently, she was the workforce development lead for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office and then led workforce efforts at the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition.
Irma Medina, an alum and 22-year employee of Holyoke Community College, has been named the inaugural dean of the Massachusetts college’s Division of Integrative and Applied Learning. Since 2023, she had served as director of integrated learning.
Irene Okwang has been promoted to vice president for institutional effectiveness and chief human resources officer at Dutchess Community College in New York. She previously served as associate vice president of human resources management.
