Presidential Search

Update on Oct. 20, 2026

• Dr. Thomas Broxson
• Dr. Monique Guillory
• Dr. Christine Moxam

Update on Sept. 24, 2026

Update on Sept. 23, 2026

• RH Perry Consultants received 105 applications by the Aug. 28 deadline. 
• The application pool was narrowed to 25 candidates for review by the Search Advisory Committee (SAC).
• After reviewing interview recordings and application materials, the SAC members identified 16 semifinalists at their Sept. 17 meeting. 
• The SAC will conduct confidential, in-person interviews with the semifinalists on Oct. 1  and Oct. 2. 
• Following the interviews, the SAC will forward a shortlist of candidates to the Board of Trustees for consideration. 
• The Board of Trustees will identify finalists and invite them to our campuses for interviews and community, staff, faculty, and student forums during the week of Oct. 19. 

Update on July 30, 2026

• The position has been posted on both the Skagit Valley College website and the RH Perry & Associates website.
• Advertisements have been placed in numerous higher education publications and job boards where prospective candidates are likely to be searching.
• More than 8,000 emails have been sent to leaders in higher education, along with more than 600 messages to higher education councils and associations, with a particular focus on the community college sector.
• RH Perry consultants have also conducted extensive personal outreach by email and phone to individuals in their proprietary database, encouraging qualified leaders, including those who may not currently be seeking a new position, to consider applying.

• Responding to inquiries about the position.
• Conducting preliminary interviews with prospective candidates.
• Personally contacting individuals who would be strong candidates and encouraging them to apply.
• Reviewing the credentials of the 31 early applicants and following up with additional questions as needed.

SVC Board of Trustees have selected the following three finalists. Learn more about each finalist below.

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Dr. Thomas Broxson, Vice President for Instruction and Chief Academic Officer, Clover Park Technical College

Dr. Thomas A. Broxson is Vice President for Instruction and Chief Academic Officer at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood, Washington, where he has served since 2020. He leads the Division of Instruction, which includes 44 programs across seven instructional divisions, three locations, and the college's career and technical high school. The college serves more than 9,000 students each year. He also serves as the college's Accreditation Liaison Officer to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

At Clover Park, Dr. Broxson has led a shift toward a more data informed culture through the development of the college's outcomes and assessment process and his leadership of institutional effectiveness. He has expanded faculty professional development so instructors have the time, tools, and support to improve teaching and student learning. He has built and used shared governance systems that bring faculty, staff, and administrators together to make sense of data and set direction collaboratively. He has promoted the expansion of high school completion and English language programs so more adults in the community have a clear path into college and careers, and has grown dual enrollment through close collaboration with K12 partners. He has been a leader in the college's enrollment growth, with the college now enrolling more students than it did before the pandemic.

Dr. Broxson has worked in higher education for more than 30 years, including more than two decades in the Washington community and technical college system. At Pierce College he served as tenured faculty, division chair, and founding district dean of the two campus Math and Science Division. He is an Achieving the Dream Leadership Coach and a 2024–25 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow. He has presented nationally on data informed leadership, institutional change, and artificial intelligence in teaching and learning.

He holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Oregon State University, a Master of Arts in Human and Physical Geography from California State University, Fullerton, and a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Geography from California State University, Fullerton.

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Dr. Monique Guillory, President, Dillard University 

Dr. Monique Guillory is an educator, scholar, and higher education executive with more than 25 years of experience advancing educational access, student success, and institutional transformation. Throughout her career, she has championed the belief that higher education must be both accessible and affordable - and that the true measure of opportunity is not simply whether students enroll, but whether they receive the support, resources, and pathways necessary to complete their education and achieve their aspirations.

Dr. Guillory currently serves as President of Dillard University, a historically Black liberal arts university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her leadership focuses on strengthening institutional sustainability while expanding opportunities for students through academic innovation, strategic partnerships, and more responsive student services. Among her initiatives is DillardONE, an integrated student-support model designed to bring financial aid, advising, registration, and student accounts together to reduce administrative barriers to student persistence and completion. She has also advanced partnerships to strengthen college access and create new educational pathways.

Previously, as Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs for the Southern University System, Dr. Guillory provided academic leadership across five campuses, including a community college, serving approximately 12,000 students. She supported initiatives to improve degree completion, strengthen transfer pathways between two- and four-year institutions, expand student support services, and use data to identify and address barriers to student success.

As Chief Academic Officer at the College of Saint Elizabeth, now Saint Elizabeth University, she created Fastrak, an innovative summer bridge and student-success initiative that increased retention among participating students by an average of 12 percent over three years. The program received the 2019 Ruffalo Noel-Levitz Retention Excellence Award. She also helped develop new academic programs aligned with workforce needs, redesigned early-college academic pathways, and expanded flexible learning opportunities for adult students.

Dr. Guillory’s commitment to educational opportunity extends beyond higher education. At Jackson State University, she founded the Mississippi Learning Institute, a collaborative partnership among the university, public schools, and state education leaders to improve outcomes for students in underserved communities. The initiative produced double-digit gains in student achievement and attracted significant public and private investment.

Her additional leadership experience includes senior executive roles at the University of the District of Columbia, Morehouse School of Medicine, Xavier University of Louisiana, and the University of the Virgin Islands. Across these institutions, she has worked to connect academic excellence with community engagement, workforce development, and equitable educational opportunity.

Dr. Guillory earned her Ph.D. from New York University and her bachelor’s degree from Tulane University. A former faculty member and lifelong educator, she is the recipient of New York University’s 1995 Arthur J. Schomburg Award for Excellence in the Humanities. Her background as a scholar and teacher informs a leadership philosophy grounded in intellectual curiosity, the transformative power of education, and the conviction that every student deserves the opportunity to discover and fulfill their potential.

Her work reflects an enduring conviction: educational access creates possibility, but affordability, student support, and meaningful pathways to completion turn that possibility into opportunity.

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Dr. Christine Moxam, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, St. Louis Community College

Dr. Christine Moxam is a higher education leader with 25 years of experience advancing student success, strengthening institutions, and building partnerships across urban, suburban, and rural communities. An immigrant and first-generation college graduate, she brings a deeply personal commitment to expanding educational opportunity and creating environments where students and employees can thrive. Her leadership philosophy centers on the connection between institutional vision, organizational culture, and the systems that support student success.

Dr. Moxam currently serves as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at St. Louis Community College, where she provides districtwide executive leadership for more than 200 employees across four campuses and two centers serving over 17,000 students. Working collaboratively across academic and administrative divisions in a unionized environment, she has helped advance institutional priorities that contributed to a 9.4% enrollment increase, an 8% increase in graduation rates, and a 10% gain in student retention between 2022 and 2025. She co-led the college's Guided Pathways restructuring and serves as executive co-chair for its upcoming Higher Learning Commission reaffirmation.

Prior to joining St. Louis Community College, Dr. Moxam held senior executive and cabinet-level positions in the Florida College System, including Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Florida SouthWestern State College. There, she helped guide the institution through a presidential transition, accreditation challenges, and changing state funding conditions. Her leadership contributed to the college's successful return from accreditation probation to full reaffirmation while maintaining enrollment stability and strengthening student support systems.

Throughout her career, Dr. Moxam has worked to remove barriers that prevent students from achieving their educational goals. At Hispanic-Serving Institutions in south Florida, she developed partnerships supporting migrant farmworker families and students from rural communities. She also led the development of a pioneering on-campus student housing initiative in the Florida College System, achieving full occupancy in its first year and expanding access to affordable housing.

An Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow, Dr. Moxam brings a collaborative, systems-oriented approach to leadership, grounded in listening, shared governance, and a commitment to continuous improvement. She believes that strong colleges are built through meaningful relationships, clear institutional priorities, and a shared sense of responsibility for student and community success.

April 14-21, 2026 
Online survey is distributed to solicit feedback for the draft Presidential Profile. 

April 14-16, 2026 
A series of forums will be held to gather input from students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community members to inform the development of the Presidential Profile. As one of the first and most important steps in the search process, the profile will identify the opportunities and challenges facing Skagit Valley College and outline the qualifications, experience, and leadership qualities sought in the next president.

May 2026

• The Presidential Search Advisory Committee reviews and refines the Presidential Profile draft. 
• Board of Trustees approves the final Presidential Profile and announces the selected search consultant. 
• The position is opened and advertised. The Presidential Profile is posted on skagit.edu, and targeted local, statewide, and national recruitment begins, along with national advertising. 

August 2026
Application submission period closes. 

September 2026 
The Presidential Search Advisory Committee conducts candidate interviews and recommends finalists to the Board of Trustees. 

October 2026

• Finalists participate in campus visits, public forums, and meetings with key stakeholders.
• The next president of Skagit Valley College is announced. 

Jan. 1, 2027 
The new president begins.

Skagit Valley College invites applications and nominations for the position of president. 

Skagit Valley College is committed to a collaborative and inclusive process. Broad input from students, employees, and community members will play a critical role in shaping the Presidential Profile and ensuring it reflects the needs and priorities of the college and the communities it serves. 

SVC is inviting community members to share their perspectives on the opportunities and challenges facing the college, as well as the qualities desired in its next president. Community input will be gathered through a combination of public forums and an online survey.

• Public forums will be held beginning April 14 (see schedule below)  
• Online survey will open April 14 and remain available through April 21 at 5 p.m.  

All members of the college community and the public are encouraged to participate. 

Public Forums  

Whidbey Island Campus  
April 14, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Oak Hall, room A306  
Remote option: Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 741 030 7556
Passcode: 125621

Mount Vernon Campus   
April 15, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Multipurpose Room, Knutzen Cardinal Center
Remote option: Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 741 030 7556
Passcode: 125621

Marine Technology Center, Anacortes  
April 16, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Classroom off the lobby
Remote option: Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 741 030 7556
Passcode: 125621

Directions to each of the campuses are available here.

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The presidential search advisory committee is composed of SVC employees and students along with representatives from the community. Selecting committee members is a thoughtful, deliberative process, and includes representatives from all aspects of the SVC community – colleagues who bring a variety of relevant professional, cultural, and personal experiences to the table.

Board of Trustees	Mariko Doerner (Co-Chair) Vhari Rust-Clark (Co-Chair)
Faculty	Claudia Avendaño-Ibarra, Human Services Instructor Kip Zwolenski, Early Childhood Education and Education Instructor and SVCFT President
Classified Staff	Kim Mitchell, Library Paraprofessional Hannah Escobar, International Program Coordinator
Administrative/Exempt Staff	Sabrina Houck, Director of Business Operations and Services Jareth Rodriguez, TRiO Director
Students	Aleeyuh Henderson, Whidbey Island campus Ashley Zamora, Mount Vernon campus
At-Large College Representatives	Brian Manning, Math and Physics Instructor Brittany Knutson, Communication Studies Instructor
SVC Foundation	John Sternlicht, EDASC CEO
Community Representatives	Margaret Rojas, Former Trustee; Assistant Director (retired), North Sound Behavioral Health David Ryberg, Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor (retired), Carter Ryberg Group, Baird's Private Wealth Management

 

Skagit Valley College is a comprehensive community college serving Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties in northwest Washington state. Nestled within a diverse and vibrant region of agricultural lands, forests, and coastal shorelines, SVC serves approximately 8,000 students each quarter across its two campuses and three centers: the Mount Vernon campus, the Whidbey Island campus in Oak Harbor, the Marine Technology Center in Anacortes, the San Juan Center in Friday Harbor, and the Cardinal Craft Brewing Academy in Burlington.

SVC is committed to meeting students where they are and fostering a learning environment grounded in opportunity, access, achievement, and community. Through flexible learning options and comprehensive student support services, the college works to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed.

SVC offers a wide range of educational opportunities, including basic education for adults, community and continuing education, academic transfer pathways, and career and technical programs. The college offers six bachelor’s degrees, 15 associate transfer degrees, 19 associate in applied science degrees, and more than 50 certificates and micro-credentials. Its highest-enrolled programs include the Associate of Arts Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA), Nursing, Pre-Nursing, and Associate in Science DTA, and Associate in Business DTA. SVC is also nationally recognized for its innovative learning communities and strong commitment to student success.