Next week, three finalists will bid to become the next president of Highline College. Lisa Avery, Justin Guillory and John Mosby were selected by the Highline College Board of Trustees as the top candidates, following the recommendation of the presidential search subcommittee. 

Lisa Avery is president of Portland Community College’s Sylvania Campus, located in southwest Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining PCC in July 2015, Avery was an administrator at the Community Colleges of Spokane.

John Mosby is vice president for student services at Mission College in Santa Clara, California, part of the West Valley Mission Community College District. Before joining Mission College in January 2015, Mosby was a dean at Skyline College in San Bruno, California.

Justin Guillory is president of the Northwest Indian College, located in Bellingham, Washington. Prior to becoming president in 2012, Guillory served as dean of academics and distance learning and dean of extended campus for NWIC.

Community members will have the opportunity to meet the candidates in an open forum 9:15 to 10:15 each morning in Building 29, Room 207. They will visit next week, in this order:

— Monday, May 14: Lisa Avery

— Tuesday, May 15: Justin Guillory

— Wednesday, May 16: John Mosby

Attendees are encouraged to provide feedback on the candidates. Feedback forms will be available at the forums and online.

Full profiles of each candidate, along with their schedules for each day, are available on the Presidential Finalists page.

In its next president, Highline College is seeking an open, inspirational leader who embodies and promotes the college’s values of diversity, access and community. More information on the presidential search process is available on the Presidential Search page. 

The goal is to have the new president in place no later than July 1. If all goes according to schedule, the board will announce its decision later in May.

The five-member board is seeking a successor to Jack Bermingham, who retired in August 2017 after more than a decade as president.

Jeff Wagnitz is serving as interim president. After a new president is selected, he will return full time to his previous role as a vice president.

Highline’s board is responsible for selecting and employing the college president. It is composed of community members from Highline’s service area of South King County: Dan Altmayer and Bob Roegner, both of Federal Way; Debrena Jackson Gandy, Des Moines; Fred Mendoza, Normandy Park; and Sili Savusa, White Center.

For more information, visit:

— Highline College Board of Trustees: https://www.highline.edu/about-us/board-of-trustees/

— Presidential search subcommittee: https://www.highline.edu/presidential-search/search-subcommittee/

— Portland Community College’s Sylvania Campus: https://www.pcc.edu/about/locations/sylvania/

— Northwest Indian College: http://www.nwic.edu/

— Mission College: http://www.missioncollege.edu/

— Presidential Finalists page: https://www.highline.edu/presidential-finalists/

— Presidential Search page: https://www.highline.edu/presidential-search/

— Jack Bermingham: https://www.highline.edu/bermingham/

— Jeff Wagnitz: https://www.highline.edu/interim-president/