Presidential finalists announced

The Kankakee Community College Board of Trustees has chosen two finalists for the position of college president.

The finalists are Dr. Laurie Chesley of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Dr. Michael Boyd of Manteno.

The community, KCC students and employees are invited to attend open forum sessions with the finalists, at the college from 2-4 p.m. in the college auditorium, Room L110, on the dates of the interviews, Jan. 9 and 10.

“Members of the board are pleased that we had more than 20 applicants,” said Board Chairman Pat Martin. “It was a strong, diverse pool and we look forward to spending time with the two finalists.”

Chesley is the provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan. She leads the School of Arts and Sciences, workforce development and student affairs, among other units.

Chesley teaches in the Doctorate of Community College Leadership Program at Ferris State University, and she also is an AQIP Peer Reviewer with the Higher Learning Commission.

Chesley previously served in positions including dean and associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at GRCC, dean of Humanities at Montgomery County Community College, assistant vice president for academic affairs at Ferris State University, and interim dean for learning at Northwestern Michigan College.

Chesley earned her doctorate in English from the University of Notre Dame.
She will be at KCC for an interview on Wednesday, Jan. 9.

Boyd is currently KCC’s vice president for instruction and student success, and chief academic officer. He is responsible for administering credit and non-credit instruction, adult education, and workforce development programs, among other units.

Boyd leads initiatives to align academic programs with regional workforce needs, and he also leads KCC’s quality improvement initiatives, which include institutional accreditation and strategic planning.
In addition, Boyd is an Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) Peer Reviewer with the Higher Learning Commission.

Previously, Boyd was associate dean of English, Humanities, and Language Studies at Illinois Central College, where he also served as the college’s Six Sigma Black Belt. He has a doctorate in English Studies from Illinois State University.

He will be at KCC for an interview on Thursday, Jan. 10.

The KCC board has worked with an advisory committee including representatives from KCC’s faculty, staff, students, the board of trustees and the community. 

The new president will replace Dr. John Avendano, who has served at KCC since July 2009. Avendano will retire at the end of June. The board plans to make a hiring decision as soon as Jan. 14.