New president
Rick W. Smith is the new president of Dallas College’s North Lake Campus. He previously served at Simmons College of Kentucky as senior vice president of institutional advancement and administrative projects.
Dallas College cited Smith’s more than 30 years of broad experience across various industries — such as media, development and healthcare — prepared him well to lead the campus.
“As the incoming president, my vision is to position North Lake as a dynamic center for academic excellence, workforce readiness and community engagement. Just about every industry needs workers,” Smith said in a release.
Prior to Simmons College, Smith was associate vice president for workforce and economic development for the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. He also held leadership and development positions at the Kentucky College of Art Design, Kentucky State University and Northern Pennsylvania Regional College and also served as president and CEO of the United Way of Ross County, Ohio.
Interim CEO
David H. Devier is serving as interim president at Westmoreland County Community College in Pennsylvania. He previously was president of Glen Oaks Community College (GOCC) in Michigan for 10 years, retiring last summer.
Under his leadership, student enrollment at GOCC grew by 25% and high school dual enrollment jumped to more than half of the total, according to the college. Devier spearheaded expansions and improvements at GOCC, including a residence hall to accommodate student athletes and out-of-town students due to a lack of housing in the area. In addition, he led the renovation of the college’s grand concourse and championed a $7.3 million state capital outlay project for renovations to buildings that house the library, technology labs and instructional spaces.
Over his career, Devier also was vice president of academic affairs and student services at Clark State College in Ohio and held several dean positions at a number of community colleges in Ohio.
Kudos
Lane A. Glenn, president of Northern Essex Community College (NECC), has been awarded Campus Compact’s Eduardo J. Padrón Award for Presidential Leadership. The award recognizes presidents and chancellors from community colleges who have exemplified a deep and sustained commitment to civic and community engagement throughout their careers.
Campus Compact noted Glenn, who is Massachusetts’ longest-serving community college president, for his leadership and dedication to equity, which have made an impact on the communities NECC serves as well as the state.
“President Glenn’s longtime leadership at Northern Essex Community College clearly demonstrates the unique and vital contributions that civically engaged community college leaders can make toward community development and wellbeing,” said Bobbie Laur, president of Campus Compact. “We are honored to recognize his many years of dedicated leadership in higher education civic and community engagement work with this award.”
For the sixth consecutive year, Anthony J. Iacono, president of County College of Morris, (CCM) has been named an influencer in higher education by ROI-NJ, a leading source for New Jersey business news. He is the only community college president on ROI-NJ’s Influencers: Power List 2025 – Higher Education.
“Being featured amongst the many distinguished leaders featured by ROI-NJ in higher education across New Jersey is an honor. The contributions they make to our communities and state are a testament to their dedication to student success,” Iacono said in a release. “Changing lives and strengthening communities is our focus and mission at CCM, and we are grateful for the many leaders, elected officials and partners who increase our reach and impact.”
ROI-NJ highlighted two grants totaling $535,000 that the college recently received to support students in the advanced manufacturing programs. The state funding has enhanced CCM’s training efforts in this field and has provided apprenticeships plus job placements, according to the college.
Obituaries
Ronald Campbell, the founding president of Monroe County Community College (MCCC) in Michigan, passed away on February 2. He was 99.
A World War II veteran, Campbell began his career in higher education at Henry Ford Community College (HFCC) as a biology instructor and eventually became vice president of instruction. He served at the Michigan college from 1955 to 1965.
“As an instructor, Dr. Campbell had a reputation, according to his lifelong friend and successor, the late MCCC President Emeritus Gerald D. Welch,” MCCC President Kojo A. Quartey said in a release. “He was thorough, fair and had a sense of humor. He was willing to spend time with his students. It was at HFCC that he honed his leadership skills. He also inherently possessed several essential qualities of leadership, according to Welch – integrity, perseverance and fidelity.”
At the age of 39, Campbell was named president of MCCC, which initially rented class space at a high school while its campus was being built. It opened in 1966 with an enrollment of 469 students. In 1967, more than 1,000 students attended class on the new main campus on 150 acres of land donated by Monroe County, according to reports. The Campbell Academic Center, a central building on MCCC’s campus, was dedicated in his honor in recognition of his contributions to the college.
Campbell retired in 1985 but remained active in the community, including serving on the MCCC Foundation board of trustees.
“It’s fulfilling to look back at the things that have transpired and the people who passed through the college from different walks of life,” Campbell said in an HFCC article upon his retirement. “They’ve become doctors, teachers, lawyers, farmers, engineers, technicians. I’ve seen judges serving more than 25 years on the bench who went to MCCC. It’s been a very rewarding career.”
Harlan L. Heglar, the founding president of St. Clair County Community College (Michigan) and later president of Laramie County Community College (Wyoming), passed away on January 8 at the age of 97.
Heglar was the third president of LCCC, serving from 1975 to 1985, when the college experienced a building expansion. He had also served as executive director of the Kansas Association of Community Colleges, according to his obituary. Earlier in his career, Heglar taught high school vocational agriculture. After his retirement from education in 1987, he worked in real estate for several years.
Over his career in higher education, Hegler was a board member of the American Association of Community Colleges from 1979 to 1980, served as president of the Council of North Central Community Colleges and also was a member of U.S. Department of Energy’s Consumer Advisory Committee under the Carter administration.
Appointments
Danielle F. Fundora Hardesty has been appointed dean for arts and humanities at Waubonsee Community College (Illinois). She comes from Rock Valley College, where she was associate professor and chair of the philosophy department.
Jennifer Mower is the new director of the Golden West College Foundation in California. She comes from the Orange County Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, where she was director of development since 2016.
At the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), Nicole Albo-Lopez is now deputy chancellor and Leigh T. Sata is vice chancellor and chief facilities executive. Albo-Lopez was previously the district’s vice chancellor of educational programs and institutional effectiveness. Sata has served as interim LACCD vice chancellor, and previously was vice president of operations and capital projects at California College of the Arts.
At Long Beach City College in California, Candace Jones is now vice president of administrative and business services, Rick von Kolen is associate vice president of human resources and Fabiola Huerta is director of administrative and business services. Jones was previously assistant superintendent/vice president of business and administrative services at Pasadena City College. Von Kolen comes from California State University, Long Beach, where he was employee relations director. He also served as director of employee and labor relations for the Los Angeles Community College District. Huerta was previously city manager and city clerk for La Habra Heights.
