Five names have been placed on the finalist list of candidates hoping for a chance at the top spot for Jefferson Davis Community College.
A field of more than 50 candidates has been narrowed down this week to the five finalists who will be guests of honor at a reception planned for Oct. 5 on the Brewton campus of JDCC.
Finalists include Dr. Robert Anderson of Herber, Ariz.; Dr. Daniel Bane of Independence, Ark.; Dr. Barbara Bebee of Frostburg, Md.; Dr. Angeline Godwin of Hattiesburg, Miss.; and Dr. Richard Underbakke of East Moline, Ill. Two alternates have also been selected including Dr. Stuart Savin of Lancaster, Penn., and Dr. Marlene Tignor of Cheyenne, Wyo.
A round of interviews by the search committee will follow the Oct. 5 reception planned for the finalists.
Sherry Martin, director of personnel at Jefferson Davis Community College, said the Oct. 6 interviews will narrow the field of hopefuls even further.
“The committee will interview the five finalists and narrow the field to three,” Martin said. “Those three candidates will then be interviewed by the chancellor of the Department of Postsecondary Education.”
Martin said the chancellor will conclude the interviews and make a recommendation for the position during the October board meeting.
“The October meeting of the board is typically the last Thursday of the month,” Martin said. “We are anxious for the announcement of the college’s new president.”
Anderson currently serves as the director of education at Independence University in Arkansas.
Godwin is owner and managing member of the Nicolette Company, LLC in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Beebe serves as the vice president of continuing education at the Allageny College of Maryland in Cumberland, Md.
Daniel Bain is currently president of Independence Community College in Independence, Ark.
Underbakke currently serves as an online ajunct instructor for Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville, Iowa and previously served as president of Black Hawk Collge in Moline, Ill.
An 11-member search committee has been responsible for taking the information from 53 applicants for the vacant position and narrowing the field of finalists to the last five.
Those JDCC staff members serving on the committee include Frieda Lowery, David Quarker and Robert Welling. Other committee memberes are Gary Branch of Bay Minette, Dean Argo of Montgomery, Dale Ash of Atmore, Mike Godwin of Brewton; Rosemary Jernigan of Brewton, Carol Crook of Atmore, and Tim Martin of Atmore.
A search for a new president began last year after then-president Dr. Susan McBride announced her retirement in December 2010. Following her retirement, Kathleen Hall, who serves as the college’s dean of instruction, was named interim president by officials with the Department of Postsecondary Education.