The State Board of Community Colleges’ Presidential Search Committee met on Thursday to discuss its national search for the next North Carolina Community College System president and chief executive officer.
On Aug. 1, 2025, current system President Dr. Jeff Cox announced his retirement, effective June 30, 2026. Last month, the system announced the launch of the presidential search and the members of its search committee at the end of the Board’s October meeting.
“Our goal is simple but significant,” Board Chair Tom Looney said in an Oct. 17 press release. “We will identify a transformative leader who can move our System at the speed of business and innovation — leveraging the collective strength of our 58 colleges and the communities they serve. This process will be transparent, collaborative, and focused on results.”
Sign up for Awake58, our newsletter on all things community college.
Looney, who is co-chair of the search committee, said CEO was added to the title because the position’s roles and responsibilities are aligned with those of a chief executive officer. Looney also said that three of the state’s 58 community college presidents also use the title of CEO.
During this meeting, the search committee discussed the search plan, guiding principles for the committee, the RFP process for search firms, and a detailed schedule for selecting the new president and CEO by April 2026. Although the new president and CEO will likely not be serving in the role by April 2026, Looney said the committee’s timeline should enable them to have the person identified and hired by April.
The search committee plans to release the RFP for search firms within the next week. Search firm presentations will occur in December and the Board intends to award the search firm contract in January. The presidential profile will be developed throughout January and February 2026.
Looney laid out the search governance and roles for the Board and the search committee.
The Board is responsible for the selection of the president and CEO, he said, and must also approve the search firm and process. Specifically, the Board must consider three finalists and confirm its final selection by majority vote. The Board will then submit their final selection for confirmation by the North Carolina Senate and House via joint resolution.
The presidential search committee is comprised of current Board members. These voting members manage all aspects of the search and evaluation process, coordinate with the search firm and search advisory committee, and recommend three finalists to the Board for approval.
The presidential search committee includes:
- Tom Looney (co-chair),
- John Kane (co-chair),
- Chaz Beasley,
- Treasurer Brad Briner,
- Lisa Estep, and
- Chris Lumsden.
The search committee’s advisory council is comprised of nonvoting members and offers external perspectives from business, government, and education sectors. The council will advise on leadership qualities, statewide priorities, and workforce needs. Those members include:
- Dr. Amanda Lee, president, N.C. Association of Community College Presidents;
- Gene Rees, chair, Board of the N.C. Association of Community College Trustees;
- Chris Chung, CEO, Economic Development Partnership of N.C.;
- Ward Nye, chairman & CEO, Martin Marietta;
- Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, North Carolina Senate;
- Rep. David Willis, R-Union, North Carolina House; and
- Seth Dearmin, chief of staff for the North Carolina Governor’s Office.
Looney addressed guiding principles for the committee, including transparency and clear communication with stakeholders, expedience, collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, and confidentiality. Committee members will be required to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) as part of the search process.
In 2025, CNBC ranked North Carolina No. 1 in business and No. 4 in workforce development. Looney said the goal for the system is to be No. 1 in workforce development by 2028, adding that the next system president and CEO will help lead the organization through a period of evolution and modernization.
Thursday was the search committee’s first meeting. Here is a tentative timeline discussed by the committee:
| Month | Milestone | Responsible party | Deliverable |
| October 2025 | Announce structure | Looney/Kane (co-chairs) | Public announcement at Board meeting |
| November 2025 | Issue RFP for search firms | Search committee | RFP reviewed and released |
| December 2025 | Search firm presentations | Search committee | Identify firms (3) |
| January 2026 | Award search firm contract | State Board | State Board approval |
| January to February 2026 | Listening sessions | Search committee, advisory committee, and search firm | Profile developed |
| February 2026 | Approve profile and solicit candidates | Search committee, advisory committee, and state Board | State Board approval |
| March 2026 | Interviews | Search committee, advisory committee, and search firm | Semifinalists |
| April 2026 | Finalist interviews, and Board approval of finalist | Search committee, advisory committee, and state Board | Select and rank 3 finalists, then State Board approval |
| May / June 2026 | President on board |
Recommended reading
