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Edison Community College
Edison Selects
Four Candidates for President
Edison Community College has selected four candidates for the position
of President and will bring each candidate to campus for two days
between March 17 and April 2. The selected candidate will replace
Interim President Dr. Karen Rafinski, who has led the College following
Dr. Cristobal Valdez’s announced departure in the previous academic
year.
Dr. David Devier, Mr. David Gerlach, Dr. Doreen Larson, and Dr. Matthew
Reed will each be on campus for two days during the interview process.
The Board Search Committee and the Advisory Committee initially
reviewed approximately 40 applications before trimming the list to 10
semifinalists who were interviewed off campus by both committees.
The four candidates will tour both the Piqua and the Darke County
campuses; participate in open forums with community members, students,
staff, and faculty; and meet with the Board of Trustees. After their
visits, the Board of Trustees will select the candidate to become
Edison’s next President. The new President will be Edison’s fifth since
its founding in 1973.
“The Board of Trustees is aware that we are entering a time of great
change marked by increasing accountability for student success, degree
completion, and diminishing government contributions to higher
education,” said Jim Thompson, Chairman of the Board Search Committee
and Trustee. “Edison is seeking a leader that can meet our growing
expectations. The new President will undoubtedly need to be a strong
fundraiser, effective communicator, and successful administrator. We
expect the new President to have an unshakeable commitment to student
access, student success, and our completion agenda and know how to
boldly translate that commitment into positive results, strategies and
action.”
Dr. David Devier is the current President of Glen Oakes Community
College in Centreville, Michigan. He was previously the Vice President
of Academic and Student Affairs at Clark State Community College in
Springfield, Ohio. Dr. Devier holds a Ph.D. in industrial technology
education from The Ohio State University.
Mr. David Gerlach currently serves as the Vice President for
Advancement at the State University of New York at Canton. Previously,
he was the Dean of Enrollment Management at the same institution. Mr.
Gerlach holds a Master of Education in General Studies from St.
Lawrence University and expects to defend his dissertation in
March/April for his Ph.D. in higher education from Syracuse University.
Dr. Doreen Larson is the current President of Pierpont Community
College and Technical College in Fairmont, West Virginia. Previously
she served more than 10 years at Lakeland Community College in Ohio as
tenure–track faculty member, Dean of Counseling and Assistant Vice
President for Student Access and Services. Dr. Larson holds a Ph.D. in
special education from Kent State University.
Dr. Matthew Reed is the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Holyoke
Community College in Massachusetts. Prior to Holyoke, Dr. Reed served
as the division Dean of Liberal Arts at the County College of Morris in
New Jersey. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Rutgers
University.
“Academic Search, Inc., our consulting search firm, is assisting Edison
in selecting a president with the full range of qualities, skills, and
abilities needed to lead Edison to greater levels of student success,”
added Thompson. “They have done an outstanding job in finding
exceptionally qualified candidates, which we have narrowed to the final
four.”
Community members are invited to attend open forums for each candidate
from 5:30–6:30 p.m. in the Emerson Center at Edison’s Piqua campus on
the following dates. The open forum for Mr. David Gerlach will be held
on Tuesday, March 17; Dr. David Devier on Monday, March 23; Dr. Doreen
Larson on Tuesday, March 31; and Dr. Matthew Reed on Thursday, April 2.
Each of the candidates’ profiles can be viewed online by visiting
www.edisonohio.edu/PresidentialSearch. For additional information,
please contact Linda Peltier, Vice President of Strategic Human
Resources, at 937-778-7802 or lpeltier@edisonohio.edu.
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