Luna CC narrows its list of candidates for president

Public forums for each are to be scheduled

The Luna Community College Board of Trustees has named six finalists for the position of president at the Las Vegasbased school.

They are: Javier Ayala, Rod Flanigan, Edward Martinez, Benjamin Moritz, Kenneth Patterson and Christopher Villa.

■ Ayala has held such positions as campus dean with the State University of New York-Monroe and dean at Grossmont College in California.

■ Flanigan has been involved in higher education in Nebraska and recently worked at Cochise College in Arizona.

■ Martinez has served as vice president for strategic enrollment management at New Mexico Highlands University.

■ Moritz is deputy director, and chief academic and student services officer of the Wyoming Community College Commission.

■ Patterson has been interim president at Luna Community College since June 2020.

■ Villa recently served as president of Portland Community College Rock Creek in Oregon.

A public forum will be held via Zoom for each finalist at times to be announced, according to a news release. Under the format, the candidates will have up to 30 minutes to introduce themselves. That will be followed by an hourlong question-and-answer period. Luna students, employees and members of the community will be able to send questions to Luna prior to each forum.

A national search for Luna’s next president began in January and has been under the direction of Gold Hill Associates, a community college executive search firm.

Luna Community College has an enrollment of about 1,000 students.

It offers more than 35 degrees and certificates in allied health sciences, business, career and technical education, education, humanities, law enforcement training, nursing and STEM.