Finalists for next president announced
Four finalists have been named in the search for the next president of Chattanooga State Community College, and they will visit the campus in the coming weeks.
The finalists are: Rebecca Ashford, vice president of student affairs at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville; Pamela Haney, provost, vice president for academic affairs at Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hill, Ill.; Tyjaun A. Lee, vice president for student affairs at Prince George’s Community College,
Largo, Md.; and Kirk Nooks, president of Metropolitan Community College
– Longview, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
About two years ago, Flora Tydings was named president of Chattanooga State, but she was tapped last year to be the state’s first female chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents. Tydings will select one of the four finalists to replace her, submitting that person’s name to the Board of Regents for its approval.
The 21-member presidential search committee met behind closed doors to winnow a group of 63 applicants down to
the final four. Tennessee law was changed in 2012 to allow Board of Regents presidential search committees to meet in private and seal records as a way to protect the privacy of candidates.
The committee worked with Betty Asher, a partner in the Greenwood/Asher & Associates search firm, who helped find Tydings.
Ashford has been at Pellissippi State for about a decade, and last year was co-chairwoman of the TBR’s Campus Safety and Security Task Force. She started her career in higher education at Brevard Community College, now known as Eastern Florida State College, in 1997. In 2005 Ashford earned her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Central Florida.
Haney started her career at Moraine Valley Community College in 2009, serving as an assistant dean. In 2011 she became the dean of science, business and computer technology and was promoted to vice president in 2012. Haney holds a doctorate in philosophy in interpersonal communication, and from 2007 to 2009 worked as an ombudsman for the University of Nevada.
Since 2009 Lee has been vice president at Prince George’s Community College, a comprehensive, urban multi-campus institution in Maryland. Lee also is an adjunct faculty member at Concordia University’s School of Education and Capella University. Lee earned a doctorate in philosophy from Ohio University in 1998.
Nooks, the only male finalist, has been president of Metropolitan Community College since 2013. Before that post, he served at Georgia Highlands College as the campus dean and executive liaison for diversity initiatives. In 2007 Nooks earned a doctorate in higher education administration from George Washington University.
Debbie Adams, Chattanooga State’s vice president of student affairs and workforce development, is serving as interim president until the next leader is appointed. The new president will be in office by July 1.
Chattanooga State serves more than 9,000 students and employs about 640 full-time employees, including 238 full-time faculty members. The college operates on a $95 million annual budget.