Eight members of the South King County community have agreed to serve on a subcommittee to help in the search to replace Jack Bermingham, who retired earlier this year as Highline College president.
During a special public meeting Tuesday on campus, the college’s board of trustees approved the following members:
• Luisa Bangs, Port of Seattle
• Tammy Campbell, Federal Way Public Schools
• Roxana Garcia, South King Council of Human Services
• Hugo Garcia, Craft3
• Steve Grubb, Highline Public Schools
• Rebecca Martin, Federal Way Chamber of Commerce
• Melissa Ponder, Mel Ponder Photographer and Human Rights Commission
• Michael Vendiola, National Indian Education Association and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
In selecting volunteers for the subcommittee, trustees looked for community members with ties to employers, educational entitites and business organizations from the college’s service area of South King County.
Up to 18 people are expected to serve on the subcommittee. In addition to community members, it will include college staff and faculty and at least one student. Once the names of the college participants have been made final, the list will be voted on by the five-member board during a public meeting.
Board members also voted to approve a contract with Gold Hill Associates, a national firm specializing in community college executive searches. The vote follows the board’s Oct. 30 meeting when trustees identified Gold Hill as their top choice. Gold Hill was one of five firms to respond to the board’s request for quote, issued at the end of Sept.
The board’s next public meeting is 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 16 in the Library Boardroom (Building 25, fifth floor) on the college’s main campus, 400 S. 240th St., Des Moines. Once the meeting’s topics have been set, a notice will be available on the board’s Meeting Agendas page.
The timeline for the presidential search process has not been determined. Board members have said their goal is to have a new leader in place no later than July 1, 2018.
Jeff Wagnitz is serving as interim president. After a permanent replacement for Bermingham is found, Wagnitz 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 local community members: Dan Altmayer and Bob Roegner, both of Federal Way; Debrena Jackson Gandy, Des Moines; Fred Mendoza, Normandy Park; and Sili Savusa, White Center.
