JSCC Presidential Finalists Selected

A Tennessee Board of Regents Search Advisory Committee has selected three finalists for the next president of Jackson State Community College. The candidates will participate in public forums on the JSCC campus July 27, 28 and 31, the next step in the presidential search process.

The finalists are:

• Dr. Jennifer Lopes, vice president of academic affairs at Jackson State Community College. She earned a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of South Carolina; a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts, both in Romance Languages at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Dr. Carol A. Rothstein, vice president of academic affairs and workforce development at Nashville State Community College. She earned a Doctor of Education in Leadership: Higher Education Administration at Frostburg State University; a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership, and a Bachelor of Science in Education, both at Liberty University. 
• Dr. Michael Webster, associate vice chancellor for workforce instruction at the Houston (Texas) Community College System. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Arts, both in English at the University of Houston, and a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Texas at Austin.

The finalists’ resumés and other information about the college and search process are posted on the Jackson State Community College presidential search page of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR)  website at https://www.tbr.edu/hr/executivesearches/president-jackson-state-cc.

Each candidate will participate in open forums with faculty, staff, students and the public who wish to attend. Dr. Webster is scheduled for Thursday, July 27, Dr. Rothstein on Friday, July 28, and Dr. Lopes on Monday, July 31. The forums are all scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT in Room 203 of the Jim Moss Center for Nursing on the Jackson State campus, 2046 North Parkway, Jackson, TN.

The forums will be streamed on the TBR website at the search webpage above and on the Jackson State Community College website, accessible through the college’s presidential search page jscc.edu/presidentsearch.  Comment and feedback on the candidates may be submitted through the candidate feedback survey on the TBR search webpage.

After the campus forums, TBR Chancellor Flora W. Tydings will review the survey input and meet with the finalists to select one candidate for recommendation to the Board of Regents. The Board will appoint the next president, during a meeting to be scheduled later.

The next president will succeed Dr. George Pimentel, who retired as JSCC president June 30. Dr. Kimberly McCormick, executive vice chancellor for external affairs at the Tennessee Board of Regents system office, is serving as interim president until the next president takes office.

The Board of Regents approved criteria for the next president during an April 27, 2023, meeting.  The position was posted, and 16-member Search Advisory Committee was appointed to lead the search. The committee is chaired by Regent Mark George, and its members include Regents Nisha Powers, Emily Reynolds and Kyle Spurgeon, and representatives of the college’s faculty, staff, students and alumni, and civic, business and industry leaders from the region.

PHOTOS ATTACHED: Dr. Jennifer Lopes, Dr. Carol A. Rothstein, Dr. Michael Webster

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