BridgeValley Community and Technical College's presidential search committee has chosen three finalists to replace retiring president Jo Harris, according to a news release from the school.
BridgeValley spokesman Brian Bolyard said there were 40 total applicants for the position, 19 of whom were deemed qualified. The college provided brief backgrounds for the finalists:
Eunice Bellinger has nearly 23 years of teaching experience and has held upper-level administrative positions at the State University of New York's Niagara County Community College, SUNY's Genesee Community College, Massachusetts Bay Community College, SUNY's Empire State College and at the United Arab Emirates' Abu Dhabi University.
Cindy Kelley is vice president for academic affairs at Tennessee's Motlow State Community College and has worked in higher education for 25 years, during which she's also held other administrative positions.
Johnny Moore is special assistant to Northeast Texas Community College's president and was previously president of Arkansas' Philander Smith College and executive vice president for student affairs at Texas' Tyler Junior College.
The release said the search committee includes representatives from the college's board of governors, Foundation Board, employees and students. The college said each finalist will attend open forums - including question-and-answer sessions - with administrators, employees, students and the general public:
n Tuesday: Moore, 11 a.m. at the South Charleston campus, Room 137 in Main (Building 2000), 3 p.m. at the Montgomery campus in the Davis Hall auditorium
n Thursday: Bellinger, 11 a.m. at the South Charleston campus, Room 137 in Main, 3 p.m. at the Montgomery campus in the Davis Hall auditorium
n April 25: Kelley, 11 a.m. at the South Charleston campus, Room 137 in Main, 3 p.m. at the Montgomery campus in the Davis Hall auditorium
After the visits, the Board of Governors will make its final recommendation and forward it to the state Community and Technical College System's board for final approval. Bolyard said the Board of Governors will likely meet early next month to make the final recommendation, and said there's no firm timeframe for when the new president will take over.
Harris, who has been BridgeValley's president for a dozen years and helped oversee the merging of Bridgemont and Kanawha Valley community and technical colleges, announced in late January that she planned to resign in July. She previously was Bridgemont's president.