New CEOs

Dennis Gervin will serve as the next president of Columbia College (California). He has served as the college’s vice president of student learning since 2005. Previously, Gervin held other administrative positions at the college, including interim dean of student services and interim dean of instruction. Prior to Columbia College, he was dean of instructional services at Modesto Junior College (California).

James Horton, Jr., will serve as interim chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College in Louisiana, effective July 5. Horton previously served as president of Yavapai College (Arizona). He also was vice chancellor/CEO for the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates from 2002-2005 and prior to that served as chancellor of the San Jacinto College District (Texas) for eight years.

Kevin Glen Walthers has been named president of Las Positas College (California). Walthers currently serves as vice chancellor for administration for the West Virginia Community and Technical College System and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.  Previously, he served as vice president for finance and administrative services at the College of Eastern Utah. 

In the Dallas County Community College District in Texas, Thom Chesney was named president of Brookhaven College and Jean Conway was named president of Eastfield College. Chesney currently serves as associate provost for student success and an associate professor of arts and humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas. He was also district vice president for academic affairs as well as provost and district dean of communications and humanities at Collin County Community College District. Conway has served as interim president at Eastfield. Previoulsy, she was vice president for teaching and learning and executive dean of world languages, cultures and communications at Richland College.

Appointments

Constance Carroll, chancellor of the San Diego Community College District in California, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week to serve a six-year term on the National Council for the Humanities. The council, which is an advisory panel to the National Endowment for the Humanities, reviews grant applications and makes recommendations to the endowment’s chairman in the areas of history, literature, languages, philosophy, religion and related disciplines. Carroll will be sworn in and attend her first council meeting on July 14. 

Edward Bonahue was recently named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Santa Fe College (Florida). Bonahue has served as interim president since May 2009.Previously, was the college’s associate vice president for academic affairs, chair of humanities and foreign languages and an assistant professor of English.

Chris Fletcher is the new centers director at Florida Keys Community College. Most recently, he served as assistant director of the University of Central Florida’s Regional Campuses. He also was an adjunct professor at the college’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

Keith Foster has selected to serve as chief financial officer at Community Colleges of Spokane (Washington), effective July 1. Currently, he is vice president for administrative services at Grays Harbor Community College (GHCC) in Washington. Prior to joining GHCC, he was director of administrative services/chief fiscal and administrative officer at Washington State University.

Diane Hopper has been appointed director of development at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College (Ohio). An attorney with a background in commercial and employment litigation, Hopper worked as an institutional fund raiser for more than a decade before joining the college.

Michael Mulcrone is the new director of community engagement and legislative affairs at Elgin Community College in Illinois. Mulcrone, an alumnus of the college,  has 25 years of administrative experience in the nonprofit, public and private sectors, previously serving as associate director of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference.

Scott Murakami has joined the University of Hawai'i Community Colleges as director of workforce development. Previously, he was director of the Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Training, a nonprofit consortium of the community colleges offering courses, training and services in the advanced technology fields. Murakami has also served as chief executive officer of the Hawai'i Technology Institute, vice president of academic affairs at Hawai'i Business College, and financial service manager for Hawai'i Job Corps Center.

Luis Sanchez was named associate superintendent/vice president of academic affairs at Allan Hancock College (California), effective July 1. Sanchez has served as a professor of business law and dean of business, applied academics and physical education at Sierra College (California) for nearly 20 years. In addition, he also served a term as director of equal employment opportunity at the college.

Susan Whitener will begin work at her new job as dean of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Community and Technical College on July 18. For the past decade, Whitener has served at West Hills Community College District, where she runs the district’s eCampus, a distance education program for central California. Previously, she was with California State University, Fresno.

Robert Vaughn was recently appointed senior vice president for workforce and economic development/community education at Reading Area Community College in Pennsylvania. Previously, he served for 12 years as regional director of workforce development and continuing education at Northern Virginia Community College. Prior to that, he was director of adult and continuing education at Newport News Public Schools in Virginia.

At Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana, Margaret Semmer has been named vice chancellor of academics for the college’s Northwest Region, effective July 5, and Russell Baker has been selected to serve as associate vice president of academic affairs, effective July 1. Semmer has served as the dean of career and technical education at Joliet Junior College in Illinois since 2007. She has been instrumental in developing and creating workshops designed to emphasize recruitment and retention of women in nontraditional careers. Previously, Semmer served at Moraine Valley Community College (Illinois) as assistant dean of science, business and computer technologies. Baker has been with Ivy Tech for five years, most recently serving as vice chancellor for academic affairs at the Fort Wayne Campus, as well as interim chancellor.