With nearly every state in the union represented, 53 candidates — including one from Brewton — are hoping to become president at Jefferson Davis Community College.
David Jones, who currently serves as JDCC’s Dean of Student Affairs, has thrown his name into the ring as a potential candidate for the position.
The top position at JDCC opened when former president Dr. Susan McBride retired last December. Kathleen Hall, who is Dean of Instruction for JDCC, was named interim president while a search to fill McBride’s seat was conducted.
Applications were submitted through last week to the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education who has the task of narrowing the field and finding a replacement for the job.
Among those hopefuls vying for the position are Dr. Douglas Littles of Evergreen and Dr. Lee Taylor of Monroeville. Littles currently serves as president at Reid State Technical College and Taylor is vice-president at Alabama Southern Community College.
The process to choose the JDCC’s next president has already begun with the selection of a presidential search committee. The 11-member team is made up of two faculty members and one support staff member from the searching institution (JDCC), two statewide members, one chancellor appointed member and five members selected by the state school board representative of the searching facility.
The search committee is expected to meet in September to review the applications and narrow the search to five candidates. The top five candidates will be announced Oct. 5 with interviews conducted at that time. An interview of the top three candidates will be conducted Oct. 6 by Chancellor Dr. Frieda H. Hill with a recommendation for the position presented Alabama Board of Postsecondary Education at their October meeting.
Other Alabama contenders for the position include Dr. Richard W. Bonds, Birmingham; Dr. Ronald R. Cromwell, Birmingham; Dr. Robert E. Davis, Section; Mr. Duane D. Gunn, Prattville; Ms. Emma L. Johnson, Millbrook; Mr. Kelly Knight, Calera; Ms. Tanya Lambert, Huntsville; Dr. Linda Y. North, Opelika; James M. Overton, Prattville; Dr. Kelly W. Ryan, Jacksonville; Mr. Kim D. Staley, Mobile; Dr. Kandis Steele, Vance; and Dr. Donald Vardaman, Troy.
The remaining 35 candidates are located in various parts of the country from as far away as New York, New Mexico and Minnesota.
Out-of-state candidates and their location are: Dr. Robert Anderson, Heber, Ariz.; Dr. Stacy N. Aspinwall, Waycross, Ga.; Dr. Daniel A. Bain, Independence, Kan.; Dr. Barbara R. Beebe, Frostburg, Md.; Mr. Oliver L. Borden Sr., Bloomfield, N.M.; Ms. Theresa M. Bryant, Norfolk, Va.; Dr. Clayton Burton, Prairieville, La.; Dr. Brian Chapman, West Hartford, Conn.; Mr. Layton S. Childress, Falcon, Mo.; Mr. Alan N. Coker, Toccoa, Ga.; Dr. William T. Cox, Greenback, Tenn.; Ms. Kathleen Curphy, Wadena, Minn.; Ms. Mary Doney, Villa Rica, Ga.; Dr. Rodney A. Ellis, Atlanta, Ga.; Dr. Paul F. Gasparro, Shawnee, Okla.; Dr. Angeline Godwin, Hattiesburg, Miss.; Dr. Lauri G. Hillstock, Easley, S.C.; Dr. Peter G. Jordan, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Dr. William D. Lackey, North Little Rock, Ark.; Mr. James R, Love, Erie, Penn.; Mr. Gregory Mason, Cincinnati, Ohio; Dr. Frances L. Moore, Roseburg, Ore.; Mr. Damyon Mouzon, Frederick, Md.; Dr. Rudy L. Oldeschulte, Sun Prairie, Wis.; Dr. Stuart Savin, Lancaster, Penn.; Dr. Marin P. Sellers, Springfield, Mo.; Thomas Sharts, Lincolnton, N.C.; Dr. Charles Smith, Orangeburg, S.C.; Dr. Marlene A. Tignor, Cheyenne, Wyo.; Dr. Richard Undeerbakke, East Moline, Ill.; Dr. Mark VanDenHende, Vida, Ore.; Dr. John Vassiliou, Miami, Fla.; Dr. Alejandro Viera, Miami, Fla.; Mr. Milton A. Walters, Silver Spring, Md.; Ms. Debbie C. Wiggins, The Colony, Tex.; and Ms. Pennylou Yarde, Brockton, Mass.