Three finalists selected for next president of Cleveland State Community College. Public forums set for Feb. 13-15.

A Tennessee Board of Regents search advisory committee has selected three finalists for the next president of Cleveland State Community College. They will participate in open forums with the campus community and the public Feb. 13-15, the next step in the selection process.

The finalists are:

• Dr. Robert R. Brandon, vice president of academic and student services at Southwest Virginia Community College since 2018 and previously dean of the Division of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education at Cleveland State Community College. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a Master of Arts in English from East Tennessee State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Virginia Intermont College.
• Dr. Jason S. Goodner, vice chancellor for academics/chief academic officer at Arkansas State University-Beebe since 2019 and previously ASU-Beebe's dean of arts and humanities. He holds a Doctor of Education degree in Adult and Career Education from Valdosta State University, a Master of Science in Social Services Administration from Georgia Southwestern State University, a Bachelor of Science in Applied Sociology from Georgia Southern University, and an Associate of Science in Middle School Education from Darton State College.
• Dr. Andrew W. White, senior director of the Fast Forward program at Belmont University since 2022 and previously dean of the business and technology division at Volunteer State Community College. He holds a Doctor of Education degree in Education Leadership from The Rossier School at the University of Southern California, a Master of Science in Public Administration from Central Michigan University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Tennessee.

The finalists’ resumes and other information about the search process are posted on the presidential search page of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR)  website at https://www.tbr.edu/hr/executivesearches/president-cleveland-state-community-college.  

The finalists will participate in open forums with faculty, staff, students and the public who wish to attend Feb. 13, 14 and 15. The forums are each scheduled for 10 a.m. ET in the George R. Johnson Cultural Heritage Center Theater on the main campus at 3535 Adkisson Drive, Cleveland, TN, with the schedule below, and will also be live-streamed via Zoom teleconferencing, using these links:

·       Feb. 13, Dr. Brandon: https://mycs-cc.zoom.us/j/91436360490?pwd=QWJ0anFTWVhaS0YwQ1BBY1VJanY1UT09

·       Feb. 14, Dr. Goodner: https://mycs-cc.zoom.us/j/94839955313?pwd=aFlHbmJxbnNtLzY3Vkd4eUZzUDZGQT09

·       Feb. 15, Dr. White: https://mycs-cc.zoom.us/j/91601612730?pwd=eG1ySVFxU0VPRm9ydmZwS3lrU2ZSUT09

After the campus visits, TBR Chancellor Flora W. Tydings will gather input from the forums and conduct final interviews with the finalists to select one candidate for nomination to the Board of Regents. Input and comments on the candidates may be submitted through an online survey that will be added to the search webpage above. The Board will appoint the next president, during a meeting to be scheduled later.

The next president will succeed former President Ty Stone and interim President Ray Brooks. The Board of Regents approved criteria for the next president last July. The position was posted, and the 19-member search advisory committee was appointed in October, including three members of the Board of Regents as well as representatives of the College’s students, faculty, staff and alumni, and civic and business leaders from the community. Chaired by Regent Danni B. Varlan, the committee spent subsequent weeks reviewing applicants and nominees to select the finalists.

The president is the chief executive officer of the college, which opened in 1967 as one of the original three Tennessee public community colleges. Cleveland State Community College primarily serves Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe and Polk counties in southeast Tennessee. In addition to its main campus in Cleveland, it offers classes at its Monroe County Center in Vonore and the McMinn Higher Education Center in Athens.