By Imani Bass
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – The Presidential Search Committee on Feb. 8 identified the four finalists for the next president of Camden County College.
Who will sit in the president’s chair next? By Imani Bass, CCC Journalism Program
The candidates are Donald Borden, George Santiago, Melissa Denardo and Rebecca Wyke.
Borden is the executive vice president of Camden County College and has served as an adjunct instructor at the college. He has held leadership positions at Overbrook High School, Audubon Junior-Senior High School and Mansion Avenue Elementary School. “We want to get to high school students before they get here. We would do ourselves and those students a service by helping educate guidance counselors and students at the high school level in terms of what their options are, what they need to be careful of and what questions they should ask when they come to advisement. We need to give students the tools to make sure the process is smooth, as well as help our advisers,” he said.
Santiago is the president of Briarcliffe College in New York, where he previously served as provost. He has experience at the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Montclair State University, Rider University, Law School Admission Services Inc. and Rutgers–The State University of New Jersey. “I know the roles of a president and have experience in function areas such as strategic planning, outcome planning and financial operations,” he said.
Denardo is the provost and vice president of learning and student success at Community College of Beaver County in Pennsylvania. She has held leadership positions at Kent State University, Aiken Technical/Community College, Community College of Allegheny County, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Colorado Mountain College and Butler Senior High School. She did not respond to phone and email requests for an interview.
Wyke is the vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of Maine System. She served as the interim president at the University of Maine at Augusta, as well as other positions with the State of Maine, the Maine Department of the Secretary of State, the Maine Waste Management Agency and Simoneau & Norton Certified Public Accountants. She did not respond to phone and email requests for an interview.