RH Perry & Associates Assists Macomb Community College with President Search
May 4, 2026 – RH Perry & Associates has assisted in the recruitment of Lori M. Gonko as president of Macomb Community College. Senior consultants Gena Glickman and George Santiago led the assignment. “Dr. Gonko has demonstrated the skills, abilities, enthusiasm and vision to lead Macomb Community College well into the future,” said Katherine Bracey Lorenzo, chair of the board and of the presidential search advisory committee. “She began and developed her passion for the work of community colleges here at Macomb and, eventually, that passion influenced her doctoral work in community college leadership and as an Aspen Fellow – both highly sought after credentials in a college president. Coming full circle, Dr. Gonko has come ‘home’ to lead the institution that profoundly influenced her career path. She brings a wealth of experience and perspectives that will greatly benefit the college, our students and our community.”
The selection of Dr. Gonko as the college’s next president is the culmination of a national search that officially opened in November 2025 to identify a replacement for retiring Macomb Community College president James O. Sawyer. The 14-member presidential search advisory committee was comprised of representatives from the college’s board, employee groups and students, and members of community partner organizations in key industry sectors.
Dr. Gonko currently serves as interim president at Henry Ford College. She will assume the duties of the presidency of Macomb on July 1, 2026. She has 25 years of community college experience. Dr. Gonko joined Henry Ford College in 2012 as coordinator of Perkins before becoming coordinator of Program Improvement and Effectiveness, and then was named vice president of Strategy and Human Resources in 2018. She has served as the college’s interim president since July 2025.
Dr. Gonko began her career at Macomb Community College, where she worked from 2001 – 2012, starting as an administrative assistant before becoming a coordinator and then manager in career and technical education. She serves as an adjunct professor in the Doctorate in Community College Leadership program at Ferris State University and is a graduate of the Aspen Institute’s Rising Presidents Fellowship.
Established in September 1954 with 84 students meeting in borrowed high school classrooms, today Macomb Community College is an accredited, two-year, comprehensive, community college with a campus and a Michigan Technical Education Center in Warren, MI, and another campus along with a Public Service Institute in Clinton Township.
Established in 1974, RH Perry & Associates offers strong credentials and experience in academic executive search, having completed well over 1,000 searches in its history. Serving both two-year and four-year institutions, the firm’s higher education practice consists of senior-level executives with a well-balanced mix of college and university presidential and senior administrative experience and executive search expertise. Headquartered in Ashville, NC, RH Perry’s consultants maintain offices in Washington, D.C., Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
Related: RH Perry & Associates Recruits 13th President for Briar Cliff University
Dr. Glickman, retired president of Massasoit Community College and president emerita, Manchester Community College, has a breadth of experience in higher education, beginning as a career counselor and culminating in 12 years as a community college president. Her background encompasses a distinguished career of more than 40 years in public and private community colleges and universities, including experience leading a college through significant change with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Santiago has dedicated his professional career of more than 30 years to educational leadership in higher education. Most recently, he was president and chief executive officer of TCI College of Technology. Prior to his tenure there, he was president and CEO of Briarcliffe College.
New Mexico Highlands University Searches
RH Perry & Associates recently assisted in the recruitment of Dann Brown as the new provost and vice president of academic affairs of New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU). The assignment was led by senior consultants Sue DeWine and Pam Shockley-Zalabak. “The experience Dr. Brown brings to NMHU will serve our institution well as we pursue innovative and transformational change initiatives,” said Neil Woolf, president. “Dann has a track record of implementing transformational change initiatives and a wealth of experience across higher education. We’re excited for his arrival.”
Dr. Brown is an experienced higher education administrator with nearly 20 years serving in virtually every facet of academic administration on regional comprehensive, doctoral-granting, and emerging research university campuses in New Mexico and Texas. He earned his PhD in plant pathology from Oklahoma State University and MS/BS in biology from Pittsburg State University.
Last year, New Mexico Highlands University also used RH Perry & Associates to recruit Mr. Woolf as its president. He was selected from a field of over 80 candidates. The board of regents charged the search committee and its chairman, Brandon Kempner, to conduct an open and transparent search that incorporated feedback received from students, staff, faculty, alumni, and the residents of the Las Vegas community, the advice and assistance of RH Perry & Associates, and within the parameters set out by New Mexico state statute. Hundreds of stakeholders responded to a feedback survey conducted on campus and in the community at the outset of the search.
Related: RH Perry & Associates Recruits President for Onondaga Community College
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
