STCC Board of Trustees Names Three Finalists for Presidential Search

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) board of trustees announced the selection of three finalists in its search for the next STCC president.

A presidential search committee, composed of representatives from STCC students, faculty, and staff; the local community; and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, recommended the candidates to the board of trustees. The search process was assisted by Pauly Group Inc. The finalists are:

• Jennifer Cournoyer, vice president of Academic & Student Affairs at River Valley Community College in Claremont, N.H.;

• Albert Lewis Jr., former chief of staff and executive vice president at Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio; and

• Irene Rios, Ammerman campus CEO for State University of New York (SUNY) Suffolk County Community College and vice president for Academic Affairs for the SUNY Suffolk System.

Finalists are scheduled for on-campus visits on April 14-15 (Cournoyer), April 21-22 (Rios), and April 23-24 (Lewis). The board of trustees will schedule forums for finalists to meet with employee groups and students. After the visits, trustees will recommend to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education a candidate as the next president of Springfield Technical Community College.

“I am grateful for the passion, energy, and engagement of our search committee who have worked very hard over many months at this important task,” said Michael Knapik, chair of the board of trustees. “Together, we are proud to present presidential finalists to the campus community. We look forward to these individuals spending time on our campus in the coming weeks and to their thoughtful interaction with our trusted stakeholders. This is an exciting time for our institution as we prepare to welcome the next president of Springfield Technical Community College.”

The new president will succeed John Cook, the college’s sixth president, who is stepping down in the summer after 10 years of service.

“We are excited to be nearing a decision on such an important leadership position,” said William Dávila, chair of the presidential search committee. “We have worked hard on the presidential search committee to have a process that leads us to the best next president. We had a quality candidate pool, and I thank the presidential search committee for their work on this process and dedication to Springfield Technical Community College.”

STCC distinguishes itself as the Commonwealth’s only technical community college, and this unique status underscores the institution’s pride and responsibility in providing career education and pathways to its diverse student body.

This search will identify a leader who will build on STCC’s recent successes, including the substantial expansion of community access to health programs through the establishment of the Health Science Program, the launch of the Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, and the funding and planning for the relocation of the School of Health and Patient Simulation.

More information about the search process, including biographies of finalists, can be found at stcc.edu/about-stcc/employment/presidentialsearch.