Academic Search Recruits President for Henry Ford College
May 29, 2026 – Academic Search has placed David M. Knezek as the seventh president of Henry Ford College. Shirley Robinson Pippins and Richard Cummins led the assignment. Mr. Knezek, currently serving as chief operating officer of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and as an elected Wayne County commissioner, will assume the presidency later this year, succeeding interim president Dr. Lori M. Gonko. “After an extensive national search, the board of trustees is pleased to announce that we have selected David Knezek as the next president of Henry Ford College,” said Jamal Aljahmi, chair of the HFC board of trustees and chair of the presidential search advisory committee. “The search drew more than 120 candidates, and we were very pleased with the quality and professionalism of the semifinalists and finalists. Mr. Knezek is well qualified for this role, and we are confident in his ability to lead the College forward in the years to come. All of us look forward to working with David as he begins his presidency later this year, following contract negotiations.
“I want to express the board’s deep gratitude to the presidential search advisory committee, which represented HFC students, faculty, staff, and our community,” Mr. Aljahmi said. “The committee members volunteered countless hours over the past three months, working with diligence and integrity to recommend finalists for this critical role. We were also pleased to see the strong participation of the college and our local community during the presidential finalists’ campus visits and in communicating their feedback to us as a board.”
Mr. Knezek brings to HFC an exceptional record of executive leadership, policy achievement, and community investment rooted in Wayne County and the state of Michigan. As COO of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services — the state’s largest department, with 16,000 employees and a $39 billion annual budget — he has overseen significant operational transformation, including the launch of the department’s first AI platform, which produced a 20 percent increase in staff timeliness and a 60 percent increase in complete applications from program beneficiaries. He spearheaded a first-of-its-kind government and higher education partnership to provide leadership development to county office staff.
“Henry Ford College has always been a vital institution for the people of Dearborn and the surrounding communities I have been privileged to serve,” said Mr. Knezek. “My own non-traditional academic journey fortified a deep belief in the transformative power of higher education and the role that community colleges play as engines of economic opportunity, workforce development, and upward mobility. I am deeply honored by the trust the board has placed in me, and excited to work alongside HFC’s outstanding faculty, staff, and students to build on the college’s remarkable legacy and advance its mission for many years to come.”
Related: Academic Search Places New Provost for New Mexico State University
For over 80 years, Henry Ford College has been a leader in providing innovative education focused on student success. Located in Dearborn, MI, the school is a comprehensive college providing both two- and four-year degrees. Educational opportunities for students include over 150 career and university transfer programs, pre-professional studies, associate degrees in science, applied science, arts, and associate degrees general studies, a bachelor’s in culinary arts, as well as certificates.
Finding Leaders for Colleges and Universities
For over three decades, Academic Search has been a leader in designing and implementing search processes for leaders of colleges and universities across the country. The firm has completed hundreds of executive searches for higher education institutions and related organizations, for roles ranging from presidents to provosts to deans. Academic Search has a formal relationship to a premier leadership development program. As the subsidiary of the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI), the firm provides substantial financial support to a number of leadership identification, development, and support programs across all sectors of public and private higher education. The firm is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Pippins, who is also a senior executive coach, joined Academic Search in 2016 as a senior consultant. Prior to this, she served as president of two community colleges (Thomas Nelson in Hampton, VA, and Suffolk County Community College in Long Island, NY), as a senior vice president of programs and services at the American Council on Education (ACE) and as president of Victory University in Memphis, TN.
After four decades in higher education, Dr. Cummins joined Academic Search as a senior consultant in 2021. From teaching as a graduate assistant to serving as a college president—while earning advanced degrees along the way—Dr. Cummins has dedicated himself to accessibility in higher education. As a consultant for Academic Search, he is motivated to enrich institutions by finding the most qualified candidates and assisting search committees as they hire esteemed individuals.
Related: Academic Search Recruits President for Norwich University
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
