PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES: From left, Dr. Deborah Casey, Dr. Dreand Johnson and Dr. Bryan Newton.

The Wor-Wic Community College board of trustees has announced three finalists for the next college president. The candidates, in alphabetical order, are, Dr. Deborah Casey, Dr. Dreand Johnson and Dr. Bryan Newton.

The three finalists will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to staff, students, faculty and the community at public forums, which will take place in Guerrieri Hall on the Wor-Wic campus, located at the corner of Route 50 and Walston Switch Road in Salisbury. College staff, faculty and student forums will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m., and community open forums will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

• Monday, May 15: Dr. Deborah Casey. Casey is vice president of student affairs at Green River College in Auburn, Wash. She has 25 years of experience in higher education, and has also worked in various administrative positions as interim vice president of human resources and instruction, dean, and in teaching roles at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and the University of Florida in Gainesville. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership and research methodology from Florida Atlantic University.
• Tuesday, May 16: Dr. Dreand Johnson. Johnson is currently provost of Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas. He previously worked at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Mo., as the associate vice chancellor of academic affairs and associate vice chancellor. He also served in administrative roles as vice president of instruction, chief academic officer, dean and professor at colleges in Iowa and Texas. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Texas Southern University in Houston, a master’s degree from Houston Baptist University and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
• Wednesday, May 17: Dr. Bryan Newton. Newton is vice president for enrollment management and student services at Wor-Wic. He has served in that role since 2015. He previously served as vice president for enrollment management and student experience at Aiken Technical College in South Carolina, and as vice chancellor for student affairs at Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington, Ind. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, a juris doctorate from the Ohio State University College of Law in Columbus and a doctorate in education and human resource studies from Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

During the events, each candidate will have time to share their views on current issues and challenges, as well as their vision for the college’s future direction. For more details on the candidates, visit the college’s presidential search page.

Those who attend public forums or other meetings with candidates will have the opportunity to provide feedback that will be shared with the board of trustees. The board will select one candidate to fill the role of president currently held by Dr. Ray Hoy, who is retiring June 30 after 23 years at Wor-Wic. The board will announce its selection on June 1. The finalists were identified after a nationwide search and screening process conducted by a committee composed of college faculty, staff and administrators; a student representative; members of the board of trustees and the foundation; community leaders; and county elected officials.