New CEOs
Richard C. Daniel is the next president of South Mountain Community College (SMCC), which is part of Arizona’s Maricopa County Community College District, effective November 7.
Daniels, who has 30 years of experience working in the Arizona higher education community, is currently executive vice president and chief operating officer of Education Forward Arizona, where he works to identify partnerships and fundraising opportunities for the organization’s growth and impact.
Previously, Daniel was executive vice president and chief operating officer at College Success Arizona, where he worked to connect transformative opportunities of higher education to students from underserved and underrepresented communities in Arizona. His background in higher education includes senior leadership positions at public research universities and community colleges, including Arizona State University, the University of Texas at El Paso and SMCC.
Steven R. Gonzales is now the permanent chancellor of the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) in Arizona. Gonzales, who serves on the American Association of Community Colleges board of directors, had led the system in an interim capacity since 2020.
The district board noted Gonzales’ work over his time as interim CEO, especially his leadership on several key initiatives and during the pandemic, which required a complete transition to remote learning.
“Whether it was enabling historic four-year baccalaureate degrees, to the first-ever artificial intelligence lab in the U.S., to providing hundreds of new employees to support Arizona’s workforce through groundbreaking workforce development programs, Dr. Gonzales has been there every step of the way leading the effort for our MCCCD students, faculty and staff,” MCCCD Governing Board President Marie Sullivan said in a statement.
The board also recognized Gonzales’ work on Standards of Excellence for the 2020/21 academic year, which included a plan to stabilize executive leadership, increase enrollment, implement a board-approved fiscal budget while developing a model for revenue streams, and provide recommendations and implementation for a multi-year strategic compensation plan for employees.
Prior to his role as interim chancellor, Gonzales was president of GateWay Community College for nearly seven years. Before joining MCCCD, he served as acting associate vice president of academic affairs and chief academic officer for the Pinal County Community College District, which operates as Central Arizona College (CAC). During his 15-year tenure at CAC, Gonzales held several leadership positions, including dean of communications, math and learning support, and associate dean of academic services.
CEO kudos
Larry D. Johnson, Jr., president of Guttman Community College in New York City, is among the 2022 Power Players in Education named by PoliticsNY. The selected advocates are focused on “harnessing the momentum that New York State has built up in order to equip educators with the resources and training they require in order to continue centering student success,” according to the online political publication. Johnson was noted for his efforts to collaborate with campus and external leaders to reimagine the “Guttman model” since becoming president of the college in 2021.
Mautra Staley Jones, president of Oklahoma City Community College, was among 11 honorees inducted into the Oklahoma African American Educators Hall of Fame last month. Jones became the college’s 11th president earlier this year, becoming the first woman and first person of color to serve OCCC in this capacity. She is also the first African-American female president of any higher education institution in Oklahoma that is not a historically Black college or university.
Larry Keen, president of Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) in North Carolina, was recently recognized by the Institute for Community Leadership for his long-term support of the local program. Formed in 2004, the institute provides local citizens with information and opportunities to participate in activities that lead to community leadership, volunteer service and membership on local boards and commissions. Keen has supported FTCC’s sponsorship of ICL since he joined the college as its president in 2007.
Jim Murdaugh, president of Tallahassee Community College (TCC) in Florida, has been named Entrepreneurial President of the Year by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship. Among Murdaugh’s entrepreneurial endeavors at TCC, the association cited the Creation of TCC Spark, a program focused on equipping student entrepreneurs with the skills, tools and connections needed to start and grow successful businesses; Launching the Wakulla Environmental Institute and the creation of the oyster aquaculture program, which trains students in the emerging oyster-farming industry; and hosting entrepreneurship educator meet-ups, linking educators across the country to share insights about entrepreneurship education.
Christopher Reber, president of Hudson County Community College in New Jersey, has been named to the 2022 NJBIZ Education Power 50 list, which honors educators and administrators who are meeting the interrupted learning challenges of the Covid pandemic, rectifying historical inequities and addressing the needs of New Jersey’s important economic sectors, according to the business publication. This is the second consecutive year NJBIZ has named Reber to its list.
Carmen Martinez-Lopez, dean of business and professional careers at SUNY Westchester Community College in New York, recently received the Hispanic Women of Impact Award from the Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The chamber recognized her various accomplishments, such as facilitating the creation of the new Robert Weiner Center for Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity and spearheading the Professional Careers Success Team, whose main goal is to offer a holistic approach to academic success.
Tanya H. Shelby, a Community in Schools (CIS) program manager who works at Lone Star College-Conroe Center‘s counseling services department, has received the 2022 All in for Students Presidential Award of Excellence for aiding families in Uvalde, Texas, after the school shootings. The award from the CIS National Office goes to someone who goes above and beyond to ensure student success. The 2022 award was given to the team of CIS-Houston employees who volunteered to go to Uvalde.
“We are so proud of the work that Tanya does,” LSC-Montgomery President Rebecca Riley said in a press release. “Her willingness to travel to Uvalde and help families victimized by this senseless act is a testament to her dedication to helping others.”
CEO retirement announcement
William T. Scroggins, president of Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC), has announced that after 12 years at the helm of his California alma mater, he will retire on June 30, 2023.
Under his leadership, Mt. SAC has seen tremendous growth, from expanded academic offerings — including new programs in drone piloting and social justice — to closer ties with employers to provide students with a pathway to jobs and careers.
The college also grew its student services, focused on equity and student success initiatives, launching a Pride Center, Equity Center, Veterans Resource Center and more, according to a release from the college. Its campus also saw an expansion, thanks to Scroggins’ leadership in bond-measure initiatives to modernize facilities.
“Dr. Scroggins is a truly visionary and transformative leader who will be greatly missed,” Judy Chen Haggerty, president of the college’s board of trustees, said in a statement. “He has done an exceptional job empowering teams to expand programs and services, cultivating resources to reshape the campus, and steadily leading the college through some of the greatest challenges the college has ever experienced. He will leave an enduring legacy of growth and resilience at the college.”
Prior to Mt. SAC, Scroggins — who has served for nearly 50 years in education — was superintendent and president of College of the Sequoias in California for five years. His list of accomplishments there include passage of three voter-approved local bond measures that resulted in new college centers in two locations. Scroggins also was interim president for two years at Modesto Junior College, where he was vice president of instruction for five years. He also has served as dean of science and math at San Bernardino Valley College after a 26-year career as a chemistry professor at El Camino and Chabot colleges.
Scroggins became well known throughout California’s community colleges for his work with the statewide Academic Senate, serving as its president from 1997 to 1999. He is the author of three chemistry books and is a sought speaker on a range of topics in higher education including curriculum, technology, shared governance, articulation and transfer and student learning outcomes.
Appointments
Teresa Leyba Ruiz, who recently retired as president of Glendale Community College in the Maricopa County Community College District in Arizona, has been appointed to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. She was noted for her efforts to provide opportunities for students and reduce equity gaps in college attainment.
Capt. John Blum, associate professor and program director for the professional pilot program at Lone Star College-Montgomery in Texas, has been elected to serve on the University Aviation Association (UAA) board of trustees. UAA is the voice of collegiate aviation to its members, the industry, government and the general public.
Andrea DeFusco-Sullivan has been appointed to the newly created position of assistant provost at North Shore Community College in Massachusetts. She previously was interim vice president of academic affairs at the college.
Anna Head has been named dean of instruction at Enterprise State Community College in Alabama. She has served as an English instructor at the college since 2009 and received the title of chair for the college’s division of English, foreign languages and communication in 2014.
Chad Inabinet has joined Michigan’s Delta College as vice president of student empowerment. He brings 20 years of experience in higher education, including serving as dean of student services for 13 years at West Shore Community College in Michigan.
Layne Ingram is now chief of staff in the president’s office at Lansing Community College in Michigan. He previously served at the college as special projects coordinator.
Sherri Mack is the new dean of business at Butler County Community College in Pennsylvania. She has served as interim dean since 2019. Mack has also taught in the college’s workforce development division and as a faculty member in its business division.
Steven Meneses has joined City Colleges of Chicago as associate vice chancellor of academic programs for technology and business. He most recently was dean of business, technology and trades at Gateway Community College in Arizona.
