BATON ROUGE, La - Today, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) announced the finalists for the position of chancellor of South Louisiana Community College. The announcement comes after an open, competitive, and comprehensive nationwide search. The search process began in July 2020 and produced a deep pool of diverse and highly qualified applicants.
"As a Board, we are delighted with the quality and depth of these four finalists," said Tim Hardy, LCTCS Board Supervisor and Search Committee Chair. "They represent the depth and quality of the national search. We are confident that the next Chancellor of South Louisiana Community College is among this group and will continue leading the college forward to meet the needs of the Greater Acadiana Region."
On Tuesday, November 17, each finalist will participate in separate virtual public forums with students, faculty and staff, and community members. Once confirmed, the complete public forum schedule will be released in the days ahead. The college community is strongly encouraged to participate in the virtual forums, which will take place via ZOOM.
Finalists in alphabetical order:
Dr. Mickey D. Best most recently served as Campus President for the New Mexico State University branch campus in Grants, NM. As the institution's Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Best actively consulted with local legislators and most recently attained new recurring and nonrecurring funding bolstering career and technical education, a plan to re-establish the institution's Correctional Officer Training Academy serving three regional facilities for the New Mexico Department of Corrections, and a new veteran resource center on the campus with the goal to provide enrollment and outreach service to veterans living in Cibola County New Mexico. From 2017 – 2020, Dr. Best successfully advocated the New Mexico House of Representatives Legislative Finance Committee, securing facility and infrastructure funding for the campus. Under his leadership, in 2019, a new Early College High School was established in cooperation with the Grants/Cibola County School District and New Mexico Department of Public Education. He has served as a board member of the Grants/Cibola County Chamber-of-Commerce and Cibola Communities Economic Development Foundation, as President of the Grants-Milan Rotary Club, and as Chair of the Local DWI Council of Cibola County.
Prior to his appointment at NMSU Grants, Dr. Best served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at South Arkansas Community College. His previous service was as Executive Dean for the Division of Liberal Arts for the Dallas College (formerly Dallas County Community College District) at the Cedar Valley College campus in Lancaster, TX. While there, he participated in the college's accreditation reaffirmation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and founded the Developmental and Transitional Education Advisory Council to address advisement and placement for students with remediation needs in Math, Reading, and Writing.
Dr. Best received his B.Ed. in Speech/Theatre and Psychology from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford. He holds an MFA in Directing and Performance and a Ph.D. in Arts Administration and History, Theory, and Criticism from Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
Dr. Heather Bigard currently serves as the Executive Vice President at Lake-Sumter State College, a public community college serving over 5,000 students in Central Florida. Dr. Bigard provides leadership to the areas of finance, facilities, information technology, institutional research and improvement, distance education, human resources, athletics, financial aid, legal affairs, and security. She also provides institution-wide leadership for strategic planning, employee relations and development, and the recent response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Bigard began her higher education journey at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, IL, and later transferred to Lambuth University in Jackson, TN, where she worked in the financial aid office. After graduating, she applied her knowledge of financial assistance to restore Title IV aid eligibility for Deaconess College of Nursing in St Louis, MO, before moving back to her hometown to serve as the Director of Financial Aid for Springfield College in Illinois. She was promoted to Chief Financial and Operations Officer and began leading enrollment, student services, and program expansion initiatives, culminating in a merger with Benedictine University in Lisle, IL. After a decade of leading the transformational change effort, Dr. Bigard assumed the role of Vice President of Administration and Finance at Blackburn College in Carlinville, IL, and led another transformation that resulted in enrollment growth, facility improvements, and fiscal sustainability. She supported a similar change at Midway University (KY), as the women's college became co-educational in less than six months.
Dr. Bigard holds a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education and Organizational Change and a Master of Science in Management and Organizational Behavior from Benedictine University in Lisle, IL, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from Lambuth University in Jackson, TN.
Dr. Adrian Douglas served as the 8th President of Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas. During her tenure in Kansas, Dr. Douglas focused on providing a compassionate campus experience for students and staff, emphasizing academic excellence and civic engagement. Before her time at Cloud, she served as Vice President of Business Services at the Dallas College – Eastfield Campus in Mesquite, Texas for seven years. Dr. Douglas's higher education career began as a charter faculty member at Baton Rouge Community College, where she taught business courses. Dr. Douglas has over twenty years of experience in education, including service in the three major sectors of the community college (instruction, student services, and administrative services).
A native of Alexandria, Louisiana, Dr. Douglas received her B.S. degree in Business (Accounting) from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She also holds an MBA from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, and a Ph.D. in Community College Leadership from Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, Colorado. Her heart for robust student activities and programming stems from her love for community college campus involvement. In 2018-2019, Phi Theta Kappa honored Dr. Douglas with the prestigious Paragon Award for New Presidents and the Distinguished College President award from the Phi Theta Kappa Kansas/Nebraska Region.
Her focus on community college excellence is not limited to her own campus. She served as a member of on-site evaluation committees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and as a peer-reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). She was also actively engaged in the Concordia Lions Club and her local church.
Dr. Vincent G. June currently serves as Interim Chancellor of South Louisiana Community College. Dr. June provides oversight for all academic and operational functions of a multi-campus (8 Parishes) college operation serving more than 17,000 students annually. As a visionary leader with a keen sense for strategy and forward-thinking, he has successfully worked with faculty and staff to develop and implement a college-wide COVID-19 Response and Reopening Plan while also executing strategic efforts to support summer and fall 2020 enrollment initiatives. Dr. June has worked closely with the executive leadership to develop and complete SLCC's strategic goals and priorities for the 2020-21 academic year while also aligning fiscal recommendations. He has dedicated his career to serving diverse communities in public higher education for over two decades in progressively responsible leadership positions. His experiences include serving as Dean of Student Services for the Division of Student Affairs at Florida Gulf Coast University; Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services at Florida A&M University; Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services at Georgia Perimeter College; Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at South Louisiana Community College. Dr. June also served as a 2014-2015 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.
As a chief academic officer and chief student affairs and enrollment officer at SLCC, Georgia Perimeter College, Florida A&M University, and Florida Gulf Coast University, respectively, Dr. June has brought great energy and commitment to establishing innovative strategies and successful programs for engaging prospective, new and continuing students in the college experience. He has been successful in connecting and partnering with local school districts, alumni, business and industry, chambers, community members, correctional units, faculty, and staff to recruit new students and increase institutional awareness and engagement within their respective communities.
Dr. June earned a BS in business and economics from Florida A&M University and received an MBA and Ph.D. in educational leadership from Washington State University.
ABOUT SOUTH LOUISIANA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
South Louisiana Community College is a comprehensive community college that operates campuses in Abbeville, Crowley, Franklin, Lafayette, Morgan City, New Iberia, Opelousas, St. Martinville, and Ville Platte. The college serves more than 15,000 students annually and offers an array of academic programs. Students earn associate degrees, technical diplomas, certificates, and industry-based certifications. It is ranked 14th among the Top 100 Associate Degree Producers as determined by Community College Week.
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