Northeast Wisconsin Technical College names three finalists in presidential search. The new president will take over this summer.
GREEN BAY ― Northeast Wisconsin Technical College has three finalists for the school's next leader, who will take over for current President Jeffrey Rafn this summer.
The three candidates are Shah Ardalan, Kristen Raney and Kathryn Rogalski.
The school expects to name the next president by the end of April. The finalists were recommended by a search advisory committee comprising students, faculty, staff, community leaders, the NWTC Board of Trustees and the NWTC Foundation Board.
The district board hired the executive search firm Academic Search to find candidates.
Shah Ardalan
Ardalan joined the Lone Star College System in Texas as the vice chancellor and chief information officer in 2008 and has served as Lone Star College-University Park’s founding president since 2012.
He has led over 800,000 students, faculty, staff and businesses as an instructor, research associate, director of business development, associate vice president, special assistant to president, vice president, chief information officer, vice chancellor, chief executive officer and college president.
He has a doctorate in community college leadership from National American University; a master’s degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University; and a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Kristen Raney
Raney is vice chancellor for academic affairs at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, where she leads the academic division and institutional accreditation for the multi-college district. She previously was the dean of students, interim vice president of student affairs and the vice president of academic affairs at Saint Paul College in Minnesota.
Raney began her career at Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire, where she spent 12 years working as a faculty member and the dean of academic development and services.
She has completed the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship from the Aspen Institute and has a doctorate in higher education and leadership studies from Edgewood College, a master's degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and a bachelor's degree in English from St. Cloud State University.
Kathryn Rogalski
Rogalski is vice president of learning and chief academic officer at NWTC, where she leads corporate training and economic development, the Marinette campus, and the learning effectiveness and early college departments.
She has worked at NWTC for five years, but previously was the dean of business and social sciences at Harper College in Illinois, where she led transfer and career programs, the Early Childhood Learning Center and taught in the psychology department.
She's also worked at the College of Lake County in Illinois, where she was an institutional researcher, academic advisor for social sciences and the associate dean in the social science division. She also served as an adjunct faculty member, teaching in the psychology department for over a decade.
Rogalski has also completed the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship and holds a doctorate in adult and higher education from Northern Illinois University; a master's degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago; and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Northeastern Illinois University.
Meet the candidates
Each of the candidates will spend a day on the Green Bay campus to meet with faculty and students. At that time, each candidate will also have a public forum where they will answer community questions.
Raney will visit April 4, Rogalski on April 5 and Ardalan on April 6. All the forums will be from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the auditorium at NWTC, 2740 W Mason St., Green Bay.
Questions can be submitted in advance online at www.nwtc.edu/presidential-search. All questions must submitted by noon Friday, March 31.
Danielle DuClos is a Report for America corps member who covers K-12 education for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at dduclos@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @danielle_duclos. You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: NWTC names three finalists in presidential search.
