Chancellor recommends Mike Whitehead as next president of TCAT Pulaski; Board will consider appointment at March 21 meeting

After a four-month search process, Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Flora W. Tydings is recommending appointment of Mike Whitehead as the next president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Pulaski. The Board of Regents will consider and act on the recommendation at its next quarterly meeting Thursday, March 21, in Nashville.

Whitehead has been vice president of TCAT Pulaski since August 2015. If the board approves his appointment, he will become president effective April 1, succeeding Tony Creecy who retired Jan. 2 after more than six years as president and a total of 33 years of service at the college.

The board meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. March 21 at the TBR System Office, 1 Bridgestone Park, Nashville. A complete board agenda and supporting materials are available on the TBR website athttps://www.tbr.edu/board/march-quarterly-board-meeting. The meeting will be live-streamed and archived on the same website.

Whitehead has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Tennessee Tech University and a Master of Education from Tennessee State University. Prior to his arrival at TCAT Pulaski, he was a high school math educator in the Marshall County school system from 2006 to 2015 and previously worked for 13 years in manufacturing industries. His complete resume is available athttps://www.tbr.edu/hr/executivesearches/president-tennessee-college-app....

He was one of two finalists for the TCAT Pulaski presidency selected by a Search Advisory Committee in February. The committee was chaired by Regent Joey Hatch and included as members Board Vice Chair Emily J. Reynolds and representatives of the college’s faculty, staff and students, and local community and business leaders.

The committee received and reviewed 31 applications before submitting the two finalists to the chancellor for final interviews. The finalists also visited the campus separately earlier this month for meetings with faculty, staff and students. The chancellor reviewed input from those meetings before making her final recommendation.

The president is the chief executive officer of the college, reporting to the Board of Regents through the chancellor. The board approved criteria for the TCAT presidency in November, and the position was posted and advertised immediately.