3 finalists named for Highline College presidency

Open forums are May 14-16 to meet the candidates

  • Thursday, May 10, 2018 1:57pm
  • News
From left: Lisa Avery, Justin Guillory and John Mosby. COURTESY PHOTOS

From left: Lisa Avery, Justin Guillory and John Mosby. COURTESY PHOTOS

Next week, three finalists will bid to become the next president of Highline College.

Dr. Lisa Avery, Dr. Justin Guillory and Dr. John Mosby were selected by the Highline College Board of Trustees as the top candidates, following the recommendation of the presidential search subcommittee.

Avery is president of Portland Community College’s Sylvania Campus. Prior to joining PCC in July 2015, Avery was an administrator at the Community Colleges of Spokane.

Guillory is president of the Northwest Indian College in Bellingham. Prior to becoming president in 2012, Guillory served as dean of academics and distance learning and dean of extended campus for NWIC.

Mosby is vice president for student services at Mission College in Santa Clara, Calif., part of the West Valley Mission Community College District. Before joining Mission College in January 2015, Mosby was a dean at Skyline College in San Bruno, Calif.

Community members will have the opportunity to meet the candidates in an open forum 9:15 to 10:15 each morning in Building 29, Room 207. They will visit next week, in this order:

• Monday, May 14: Avery

• Tuesday, May 15: Guillory

• Wednesday, May 16: Mosby

Attendees will be encouraged to provide feedback on the candidates. Feedback forms will be available at the forums and online.

Full profiles of each candidate, along with their schedules for each day, are available on the Presidential Finalists page.

In its next president, Highline College is seeking an open, inspirational leader who embodies and promotes the college’s values of diversity, access and community. More information on the presidential search process is available on the Presidential Finalists page.

The goal is to have the new president in place no later than July 1. If all goes according to schedule, the board will announce its decision later in May.

The five-member board is seeking a successor to Dr. Jack Bermingham, who retired in August 2017 after more than a decade as president.

Dr. Jeff Wagnitz is serving as interim president. After a new president is selected, he will return full time to his previous role as a vice president.

Highline’s board is responsible for selecting and employing the college president. It is composed of community members from Highline’s service area of South King County: Dan Altmayer and Bob Roegner, both of Federal Way; Debrena Jackson Gandy, Des Moines; Fred Mendoza, Normandy Park; and Sili Savusa, White Center.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

t
Kent-based Puget Sound Fire calls windstorm ‘one for the ages’

Agency responds to 308 calls in 12-hour period, including 245 for storm-related issues

Crews clear trees from State Route 18, which the Washington State Patrol closed in both directions Wednesday, Nov. 20, from Issaquah Hobart to I-90 over Tiger Mountain because of fallen trees during a windstorm. COURTESY PHOTO, Washington State Patrol
Windstorm closes Kent schools, roads due to fallen trees

Many without power in areas of Kent and beyond

t
“Prolific” vehicular theft suspect arrested in Renton

Kent man holds 13 prior convictions and 41 arrests.

tt
Green Kent volunteer program wraps up season at city park

Volunteers remove invasive species, plant native trees and shrubs at Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks Park

t
Copper-wire thieves damage Kent Senior Center roof refrigeration unit

Facility temporarily loses commercial kitchen refrigerator but staff, community keep meals going

t
16-year-old girl dies in Covington single-car crash

Teen was driving when car crashed into a tree Nov. 15 along SE 256th Street just east of Kent

t
Kent Police Blotter: Oct. 24-Nov. 7

Incidents include carjacking, juvenile fight, stolen vehicle pursuit

t
State Patrol catches a pair of motorcycles going over 100 mph on I-5

See a video of their arrest. Agency uses air surveillance to pursue from Federal Way to Renton

Photos by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
Official ribbon cutting for the Kent Valley Bezos Academy, which is still accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year.
Kent Valley Bezos Academy offers student-driven preschool experience

New school offers free enrollment to children of income-eligible families

COURTESY PHOTO, King County
Driver reportedly going 111 mph in Kent fatal collision

SeaTac man, 33, faces vehicular homicide, reckless driving charges in Nov. 4 death of 38-year-old woman

A National Civics Bee in Arizona. COURTESY PHOTO, Civics Bee
Kent Chamber of Commerce to offer civics contest for middle schoolers

Essay competition first step as part of 2025 National Civics Bee

t
Kent Police help catch alleged prolific graffiti vandal

Tacoma man reportedly had guns, spray paint, rappelling harness and book about taggers in vehicle