Greenwood Asher & Associates Seeking President for Milwaukee Area Technical College
March 13, 2024 – Miramar Beach, FL-based executive recruitment firm Greenwood Asher & Associates has been selected by Milwaukee Area Technical College to conduct a national search for their next college president. Tracey Weldon, Jim Johnsen, and Itza Walters are leading the assignment. “We are honored to have been selected by the Milwaukee Area Technical College board to support their search for the college’s next president,” said Ms. Weldon. “Milwaukee Area Technical College plays such a pivotal role in providing affordable access to those seeking higher education and career advancement opportunities in the region. We look forward to partnering with them in their search for a transformative and visionary leader to usher them into the next era in the college’s impactful history.”
Greenwood Asher & Associates will gather community input through student, faculty, staff, administration and community stakeholder engagement sessions conducted both virtually and in person. The information gathered will be used in a variety of ways throughout the search process, including, but not limited to, developing a position profile and providing the Milwaukee Area Technical College district board context as we review applicant materials and design interview and referencing questions.
The ideal candidate will be a visionary who inspires confidence and trust within and outside the college. Milwaukee Area Technical College’s president serves as the chief executive officer of the college, reporting to the district board of directors. The president is responsible for day-to-day administration, management, and oversight of all college operations. This executive leads strategically and works with a wide range of internal and external constituents to execute the college’s mission and vision.
The search firm will be looking for candidates with knowledge of the functions and objectives of academic affairs, academic support programs and services, and academic administration. Candidates should have evidence of accountable, ethical, decisive, and visionary leadership. They should have the ability to actively engage with students, faculty, and staff to nurture a culture of mutual respect and accessibility. Candidates will also be able to work with culturally diverse student and employee populations and to nurture and inspire mutual respect and shared objectives across all groups.
Greenwood Asher & Associates is conducting the search throughout the spring semester. The university hopes to have a new president in place by July 2024.
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As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College has provided education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online.
Experienced Search Consultants
Greenwood Asher & Associates is an executive search firm with a diverse consulting team and extensive experience in executive search, consulting, and training for education markets including elementary, secondary, higher education, university systems, campuses and non-profit organizations including associations, service, and cultural institutions. The firm was acquired in 2020 by Kelly Education, a global leader in workforce management solutions offering staffing services to top companies.
The High Demand for Higher Education Leaders Continues
With a new school year approaching, a number of top colleges and universities have announced they are seeking new, high profile leaders to take them into new eras of fundraising, digitalization, sports and, in some cases, globalization. Several universities haven’t changed leaders in years or even decades, and their boards of trustees and search committees are finding an entirely new and highly competitive landscape as they set out. It is another reason why they’re calling in executive recruiters to assist.
Ms. Weldon is vice president of executive search at Greenwood Asher & Associates. She is former dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education at the University of South Carolina (USC). She also served as the inaugural diversity officer in the College of Arts and Sciences and was one of the original members and co-chairs of USC’s Council of Academic Diversity Officers.
As vice president of executive search, Mr. Johnsen serves Greenwood Asher & Associates and its clients by developing partnerships informed by his background in, and passion for, leadership in higher education, business, and government. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a senior fellow at the National Association of System Heads (NASH), lecturer in the School of Management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, commissioner for the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, and Alaska representative to the State Higher Education Executive Officers.
As a senior executive search consultant, Ms. Walters’ responsibilities include outreach to potential candidates, organizing and presenting candidate documentation to search committees for review, facilitating the interview process, referencing finalists, and guaranteeing successful search closures.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
