WCC narrows search for president
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on June 5, 2016 1:45 AM
The pool of candidates for president of Wayne Community College has been narrowed down to six finalists -- four from within the state and the others from Nebraska and Tennessee.
As the search nears completion for Dr. Kay Albertson's successor when she retires Aug. 1, the public will also have an opportunity to meet the finalists and weigh in, officials said this week.
Interviews have been scheduled over the next two weeks, with Dr. David Brand, Dr. Michael Elam, Dr. Deborah Grimes, Dr. Ted Lewis, Dr. Ralph Soney and Dr. Thomas Walker.
"Each of these applicants has extensive experience in higher education and has impressive educational and work history," said Chris Martin, chair of the college's board of trustees.
As part of the process, each candidate will meet with board of trustees members for an in-depth interview and be taken on a tour of the campus. They will also attend a meet-and-greet event open to the public and college community.
The latter option was added, Mrs. Martin said, so that "people in each of those groups have an opportunity to talk with the candidates" and give feedback.
The meet-and-greet opportunities will be: June 8, Walker; June 9, Lewis; June 10, Grimes; June 13, Soney; June 15, Brand; and June 16, Elam.
Sessions will be held in Room 101 of the Walnut Building, from 2-3 p.m., with the exception of the June 10 session with Grimes, which will take place from 11 a.m. until noon.
The public is welcome to attend as many of the sessions as they wish, whether they participate or simply listen. The events will be conducted in forum format, with succinct questions accepted.
Those unable to attend a session will also be able to submit feedback via e-mail, to the search consultant, Dr. Donny Hunter, at hunter@ncacct.org.
Messages received will be given to the college trustees for consideration.
Once the interview process is complete, the board will prioritize the candidates and make its selection, which will then be reviewed by the State Board of Community Colleges. An announcement of the new president is expected in mid-July, Mrs. Martin said.
The process of winnowing down the field to a half-dozen prospects has gone right on schedule, she added, through the efforts of a presidential search advisory committee guided by the consultant hired for the process.
The committee was made up of 10 people: five trustees and one representative each from the college's faculty, staff and Foundation, plus Wayne County Public Schools and the local business community.
"Committee members spent many long hours studying resumes and learning about qualified candidates, then began narrowing the field of applicants," Mrs. Martin said.
The board hired Hunter, president/chief executive officer of the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees, to consult on the process and assure the search was conducted professionally and fairly.
Mrs. Albertson's retirement comes after a 33-year career in the N.C. Community College System, including 19 at WCC and nine of those as president.
All six candidates under consideration have extensive backgrounds in education administration and have served in upper level leadership capacities.
Brand has been senior vice president and chief academic officer at Fayetteville Technical Community College since 2012. Prior to that, he served as director of the Department of Education with the U.S. Army, Special Operations Command, at Fort Bragg. He also was chief academic officer and dean of Bauder College in Atlanta and regional director of operations at DeVry University and Keller Graduate School of Management in Atlanta. He has a bachelor's degree in business resource management from Troy State University in Alabama, a master's degree in political science from the University of Houston and a doctorate of education in curriculum and instruction from the University of South Carolina.
Elam has been president of Roanoke-Chowan Community College in Ahoskie since 2013. He was interim chancellor at Central Louisiana Technical Community College from 2012-2013 and had previously served as president of College of the Mainland in Texas, vice president for student development at Daytona State College and interim chancellor at SOWELA Technical Community College in Louisiana. He earned a bachelor's degree in zoology and a master's in student personnel and administration from Howard University and a doctorate in education in higher education leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
Grimes became senior vice president of instruction and student services at Lenoir Community College in 2015, preceded by stints there as vice president of academic and student services and several other roles, including assistant to the president. She received a bachelor's degree in special education and a master's degree in mental retardation from East Carolina University, earning her doctorate from there in educational leadership in higher education.
Lewis has been vice president for academic affairs at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tenn., since 2012. From 2003 to 2012, he was dean of instruction at Lone Star College in Texas and served as a dean and department chair at Collin County Community College in Plano, Texas. He has a bachelor's degree in political science from Texas Wesleyan University, a master's degree in political science from the University of North Texas, and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Texas in Austin.
Soney has served as vice president of corporate and continuing education at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, N.C. since 2013. From 2005 until 2012, he was president of Roanoke-Chowan Community College and had previously been vice president for academics at Pitt Community College. He also has an earlier connection with WCC, having been a division director there from 1997 until 2000. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and master's degrees in history and psychology from Appalachian State University and a doctorate in adult and community college leadership from N.C. State University.
Walker has been campus president of Central Community College-Grand Island in Nebraska since 2014. Among his other experiences, he was executive director of the Knowledge is Power program in St. Louis and dean of administrative services at Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley in Kansas City. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master's degree in human resource management and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Memphis.