Verde Campus Executive Dean Perey one of the three; Governing Board to play no role in selection
Yavapai College has announced the three finalists for the of Vice President of Instruction and Student Development. The College Governing Board will play no role in making the final selection.
Although the College has not posted who will make the final decision (although it is clear the Governing Board will not do so), it apparently rests with President Penelope Wills. This is in keeping with the corporate model that the administration now operates under, which seeks to remove input from County residents and the Governing Board. It vests almost total power and control in the unelected president of the College.
The finalists are: Dr. Christopher C. Ezell, who has served as the Vice President of Academic and Student Services (and chief academic officer) for the past ten years at Danville Community College (DCC) in Danville, Virginia. Before that, Dr. Ezell worked for twenty-five years with Vincennes University (VU) in Indiana.
Dr. Ron Liss is the second candidate and was the Western Campus President for Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) from July 2013 to July 2015. He was Vice President for Academic Affairs at Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) in N.M., where he served from 2007 to 2013. Liss held numerous positions at Montgomery College in Maryland, including Dean of Business, Management, Chemistry, and Information Sciences; Director of Distance Learning and Academic Innovation; and Director of Academic and Student Affairs. He spent 15 years at the Community College of Baltimore County as faculty, department chair, division chair and director of instructional technology.
Dr. James Perey, the third candidate, has been the Executive Dean of the Verde Valley Campus and Sedona Center since 2012. He is generally viewed as the “fall-guy” for Wills’ in the Verde Valley. Dr. Perey has served as an Associate Dean for Career and Technical Education overseeing the Chino Valley Agribusiness Center and programs throughout the district. Before his administrative assignments, Dr. Perey served as a full-time faculty member in the Agribusiness department teaching a variety of classes in agriculture and agribusiness. In addition, he has served in numerous other leadership roles at Yavapai College, including outcomes assessment coordinator and faculty senator.
Prior to coming to Yavapai College in 2002, Dr. Perey served as a lecturer and professional development coordinator at the University of Arizona, Department of Agricultural Education, where he assisted in preparing new teachers by both teaching classes and providing professional development. His academic career began in the classroom as a high school instructor where he spent four years teaching in a small, rural farming community in Arizona.
For much more background on the candidates, please click here.