The search for Wayne Community College’s next president is in its final stages.
The field has been narrowed to six candidates and all have been invited for in-person interviews. They are Dr. David Brand, Dr. Michael Elam, Dr. Deborah Grimes, Dr. Ted Lewis, Dr. Ralph Soney, and Dr. Thomas Walker. (Short biographies are provided below.)
“Each of these applicants has extensive experience in higher education and has impressive educational and work history,” said Mrs. Chris Martin, chair of the college’s board of trustees.
Each candidate will meet with the board of trustees for an in-depth interview, attend a meet-and-greet event, and tour the campus and learn about the college.
The schedule is: June 8, Walker; June 9, Lewis; June 10, Grimes; June 13, Soney; June 15, Brand; and June 16, Elam. The meet-and-greet sessions are planned for 2-3 p.m. during each candidate’s visit except the June 10 session with Grimes which is set for 11 a.m.-noon. They will be held in Room 101 of the Walnut Building on the college’s main campus in Goldsboro.
The meet-and-greet sessions, which will be conducted in a forum format, are open to the college community and the public. They are being held so that “people in each of those groups have an opportunity to talk with the candidates,” Mrs. Martin said, and give feedback.
Everyone is welcome to attend as many of the “meet and greet” sessions as they wish, whether they choose to participate or simply listen. Participants are asked to prepare their questions in advance and make them as succinct as possible.
Anyone, whether they attend the sessions or not, may submit comments about the candidates to the search consultant, Dr. Donny Hunter, at hunter@ncacct.org. Submissions will be kept confidential. Hunter will compile and forward them verbatim to the college’s trustees, only removing the identity of the writer.
After all interviews have been completed, the board of trustees will prioritize the candidates and make its selection, which will then be reviewed by the State Board of Community Colleges. The trustees expect to announce the new president in mid-July.
The process of narrowing the candidate field to a half-dozen has been achieved by a presidential search advisory committee guided by a consultant.
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 WCC board of trustees 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.
Dr. Kay H. Albertson will retire effective Aug. 1, 2016. She served in the N.C. Community College System for 33 years, including 19 at WCC and nine of that as the college’s president.
Wayne Community College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. Anyone who anticipates needing accommodations or has questions about access should contact the college’s Disability Services Counselor at (919) 739-6729 or lbcowan@waynecc.edu.
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, it serves 14,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 72 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.
Finalists’ Biographies
Dr. David L. Brand has served as senior vice president and chief academic officer at Fayetteville Technical Community College since 2012. From 2010 to 2012 he served as the director of the Department of Education with the U.S. Army, Special Operations Command, at Fort Bragg. He served as chief academic officer and dean of the college at Bauder College in Atlanta, Ga. from 2005 to 2006 and served as regional director of operations at DeVry University and Keller Graduate School of Management in Atlanta, Ga. from 2003 to 2005. Brand received a bachelor’s degree in business resource management from Troy State University in Troy, Ala., a master’s degree in political science from the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, and doctor of education in curriculum and instruction from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.
Dr. Michael A. Elam has served as president of Roanoke-Chowan Community College in Ahoskie since 2013. From 2012 to 2013, he was interim chancellor at Central Louisiana Technical Community College in Alexandria, La. From 2009 to 2011, he served as president of College of the Mainland in Texas City, Texas. From 1999 to 2009, Elam served as vice president for student development at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Fla. He also served as interim chancellor at SOWELA Technical Community College in Lake Charles, La. He received a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Howard University in Washington, D.C., a master’s degree in student personnel and administration from Howard University, and a doctor in education in higher education leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Dr. Deborah Grimes has served as senior vice president of instruction and student services at Lenoir Community College in Kinston, N.C. since 2015. Prior to that position she served the college as vice president of academic and student services from 2010 to 2015. From 2006 to 2010, she served LCC’s director of institutional effectiveness and assistant to the president, interim dean of arts and sciences, and vice president of academic and student services. Grimes received her bachelor’s degree in special education and her master’s degree in mental retardation from East Carolina University. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership in higher education also from East Carolina University.
Dr. Ted A. Lewis has served as vice president for academic affairs at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tenn. since 2012. Prior to that position he served as dean of instruction at Lone Star CollegeCyFair in Cypress, Texas from 2003 to 2012. Lewis served as a dean and department chair at Collin County Community College in Plano, Texas. Lewis received 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, Texas.
Dr. Ralph Soney has served as vice president of corporate and continuing education at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, N.C. since 2013. Prior to his current position he served as president of Roanoke-Chowan Community College from 2005 to 2012. Soney served as vice president for academics at Pitt Community College in Winterville, N.C. from 2004 to 2005. He served as vice president for instructional services at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, N.C. from 2000 to 2004 and as a division director at Wayne Community College 1997-2000. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in both history and psychology from Appalachian State University. Soney earned his doctorate degree in adult and community college leadership from North Carolina State University.
Dr. Thomas A. Walker has served as campus president at Central Community College-Grand Island in Grand Island, Neb. since 2014. Prior to that position, from 2011 to 2014 he served as vice president for Student Affairs at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park in St. Louis, Mo. He served as executive director of the Knowledge is Power program in St. Louis, Mo. He served as dean of administrative services at Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley in Kansas City, Mo. from 2007 to 2009. Walker received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received a master’s degree in human resource management and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tenn.