New CEOs
Lorenzo Esters is Ivy Tech Community College’s next Indianapolis campus chancellor, effective July 1. He currently is vice president for advancement and member engagement at the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Previously, Esters was executive director for higher education partnerships within the Global Education Division of Educational Testing Service. His prior experiences include serving as vice president for philanthropy at Strada Education Network. In addition, Esters was the inaugural vice president for student success and enrollment management at Kentucky State University and vice president of access at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.
In addition, Esters was a senior advisor to the president of Dillard University in Louisiana and a management and program analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Education Department.
Esters’ “broad and rich experience along with his recognized leadership in higher education makes him ideal to serve our largest and most diverse campus,” said Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann. “I am confident he will ‘hit the ground running’ as the Indianapolis campus has an outsized role in developing talent for the city’s growing economy and increasing the prosperity of our students, families, neighborhoods and communities.”
Rachel Pokrandt will serve as the 12th president of Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Roseburg, Oregon, effective July 1. She is currently a vice president and campus dean for Colorado Mountain College.
Prior to her start there in 2012, Pokrandt was dean of instruction at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins, Colorado. With a background in business, she has also served as an adjunct instructor since 2003. In addition, Pokrandt served for 10 years in the nonprofit sector, working on educational programs with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, DuPont and Dow Chemical.
Pokrandt “brings a student-centered approach to decision-making and has a proven record building partnerships with K-12 and businesses,” said UCC Board of Education Chair Steve Loosley. “The board is confident she will help us re-imagine UCC as we emerge from the pandemic and re-define education for our community.”
CEO retirement
Mark Mitsui, who has served as president of Portland Community College (PCC) in Oregon since 2016, will retire in June 2022. Previously, Mitsui served in the Obama administration as deputy assistant secretary for community colleges at the U.S. Education Department.
Over his tenure, Mitsui has led PCC — the largest postsecondary institution in the state, serving more than 60,000 students — in supporting student success efforts, advocating for basic student needs and raising awareness about climate issues. He championed Pathways to Opportunity, a statewide partnership comprising all 17 Oregon community colleges and Oregon’s Department of Human Services. The program aims to close opportunity gaps and increase economic mobility by expanding federal, state and local resources available to low-income students so that more people can attend and complete college.
Mitsui’s leadership has contributed to PCC earning several national and international accolades for its sustainability efforts, including recognition from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and Second Nature. The college participated in the United Nations Climate Conferences in 2017 and 2019.
For his comprehensive work, as well as his influence and partnership within the business community, Mitsui — who is PCC’s first Asian-American president — received Executive of the Year honors from the Portland Business Journal in 2018.
The many organizations and boards that Mitsui has served on include the American Council on Education, the Task Force on Higher Education and Opportunity, the National Skills Coalition Manufacturing Industry Recovery panel, Oregon Community College Association, Gov. Kate Brown’s Workforce and Talent Development Board, National Asian Pacific Islander Council, and as part of the We Are Still In Leadership Circle and Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Committee.
Previously, Mitsui also served as president of North Seattle College, vice president of student services at South Seattle College, assistant dean of student services at Green River Community College (Washington) and director of student success at North Seattle College. He began working in the community college sector as a teacher at Renton Technical College (Washington), where he received the Outstanding Faculty Award in 1994.
Appointment
Keith Fletcher will serve at Savannah Technical College in Georgia as executive director of its Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant. He previously was a vice president at KRF Associates, where he helped startup technology companies.
