RH Perry & Associates Leading President Search for Illinois Central College
October 21, 2025 – RH Perry & Associates has been retained by Illinois Central College (ICC) to lead in its search for a new president. Senior consultants Jessie Thompson and Charlene Newkirk are leading the assignment. The Illinois Central College board of trustees seeks an accomplished, collaborative, engaging, transparent, visionary leader with a proven record of fostering student success, driving strategic initiatives, and advancing institutional innovation.
Ideal candidates will have a proven record of transformational leadership and a strong commitment to student-centered outcomes. They will bring expertise in workforce development, regional economic partnerships, and credentialing, along with skill in building collaborative relationships with employers, community organizations, and educational partners. Candidates should also demonstrate a forward-thinking orientation toward technology integration, such as AI or ERP systems, the capacity to enhance operational effectiveness, exceptional communication and team-building abilities to unite stakeholders, break down silos, and sustain engagement across the college, and experience in managing transformational change.
Illinois Central College is a comprehensive community college located in East Peoria, Illinois, serving the greater Peoria region through campuses in East Peoria, Peoria, and Pekin. Established in 1967, ICC provides accessible, affordable education and workforce training to more than 8,000 students annually. The college offers a wide range of associate degrees, certificates, transfer programs, and career-focused pathways in areas such as healthcare, manufacturing, business, and information technology. Committed to student success and regional economic development, ICC partners closely with local employers, high schools, and universities to create seamless transitions from education to employment.
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.
Mr. Thompson, director of community college searches, has led, or participated in, a wide range of presidential and senior administrative higher education searches. His experience spans large and small, urban, suburban and rural institutions nationwide. Mr. Thompson has provided services to both single and multi-campus institutions. His experience in higher education includes a combination of more than 40 years in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Michigan of senior-level administration, community college trustee service, and college teaching experience.
Related: RH Perry & Associates Recruits President for Onondaga Community College
Ms. Newkirk has served at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) in Pittsburgh, PA, as a campus president since march 2009 and, in July 2019, assumed responsibility as the southeast regional president, overseeing Boyce and South Campuses and Braddock Hills and Washington County Centers. In June 2024, she retired from CCAC. Her experience of many years in progressively responsible roles as a college administrator and educator at large public research institutions as well as small public and private colleges, including the University of Pittsburgh, Florida State University, Arizona State University, the College of Southern Maryland, Oberlin College, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland, combined with her experiences as an executive at CCAC, has made her a well-respected and seasoned professional in higher-education administration.
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 13th President for Briar Cliff University
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
