C-Forward President To Serve On NKU Presidential Search Committee

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C-Forward is announcing that our President, Brent Cooper, has agreed to serve on the Northern Kentucky University Presidential Search Committee. In addition, Brent also serves as Co-Chair of the NKU Foundation Advocacy committee, and as a member of the NKU Haile/US Bank College of Business Advisory Board.

When asked about the presidential search committee Cooper said, “NKU is critical to our region, so it will be an honor to serve with such a distinguished group of community leaders, led by our search committee chair, Norm Desmarais.   I have no doubt we will find a new President that will continue the tradition of excellence at Northern Kentucky University.”

C-Forward employs a number of NKU Graduates, including a Supervisor and Vice President.

The following letter explaining the search committee was sent by NKU’s Board of Regents Chair, Rich Boehne earlier today:

NKU campus community:

We’re making tremendous progress on our search for the university’s next president.

The search committee is now in place, led by Regent Norm Desmarais. Norm, working with the university community, solicited a broad and diverse group to handle this vital search. The 19 members represent talent and expertise from both inside and outside the university. They are listed below, or at http://presidentialsearch.nku.edu/.

Plus, we’re close to selecting the best external firm to assist with the nationwide search. This firm will work closely with the search committee to identify, recruit, assess and ultimately recommend candidates to interview for the position. Their participation in the process will ensure that we are provided with a rich and diverse pool of candidates that exemplify both the mission and ambition of Northern Kentucky University.

Soon, we’ll be holding listening sessions on campus to hear your thoughts and ideas in preparation for development of the job profile we’ll use to attract and screen candidates. These sessions are an essential step in the process, and we sincerely hope you’ll join us as we decide together what to look for in our next president.

While our schedule is aggressive, it will still take some months to get the best person in place. To bridge the gap between Geoff’s departure in May and the new president’s arrival, the regents will name an interim president to lead the university.

At the board meeting on March 15, I will propose that the regents consider and support Gerard St. Amand to serve in that interim role.

Most of you know Gerry from his service to the university as Vice President for University Advancement and Dean of Chase College of Law. If there is one trait that defines his career path, it is dedication. He could have easily served five additional years in the United States Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps and retired as a colonel. However, Gerry saw an opportunity to make an impact, so he left the Army to join NKU as Chase Law Dean. So too could he have quietly retired after his tenure as Vice President for Advancement came to an end, but he chose to return to the faculty of Chase Law where he continued his brilliant career of service and education to our students and university.

Gerry’s particular experience with our university, his familiarity with the strategies and culture that have come to define NKU, in addition to his proven and diverse leadership skills, make him my recommended candidate for this key positon.

It’s also important to note that by considering Gerry, we allow our senior campus leaders to continue their demanding roles without having to take on additional duties during this transition. Bringing him on board to an already strong senior leadership staff will allow NKU to continue its trajectory as a university on the rise while we search for our next president.

More to come. Just wanted to give you a preview of the recommendation that I will make to the board in a couple of weeks as well as additional updates on the presidential search process.

Presidential Search and Selection Committee

  • Normand Desmarais (Chair) – Regent, Chairman & Founding Partner, TiER1 Performance Solutions
  • David Bauer – Heavy Equipment/Grounds Operator, Operations and Maintenance
  • Martin Butler – Attorney, Strauss Troy (Chase ’77)
  • Garren Colvin – CEO, St. Elizabeth Healthcare (MBA ’96)
  • Brent Cooper – President & Owner, C-Forward Information Technology
  • Maureen Doyle – Chair & Associate Professor, Computer Science
  • Virginia Fox – Regent, Former Executive Director & CEO, Kentucky Educational Television
  • Rachel Green – Director, Human Relations & EEO, Human Resources
  • Francoise Kazimierczuk – Assistant Professor, Allied Health
  • Wendy Lea – CEO, Cintrifuse
  • Monica Molestina – Undergraduate student, Organizational Leadership & Spanish
  • Dannie Moore – Assistant Vice President, Student Inclusiveness
  • David Raska – Assistant Professor, Marketing, Economics & Sports Business
  • Cindy Reed – Dean, College of Education & Human Services
  • Dennis Repenning – Regent, Attorney, Dennis Repenning PSC (Chase ’79)
  • Lee Scheben – Regent, Executive Vice President, Heritage Bank (Chase ’91)
  • David Singleton – Associate Professor, Chase College of Law
  • Rebecca Walker – Acting Director, College of Informatics Advising
  • Matthew Zacate – Associate Professor, Physics & Geology

 

Rich Boehne

Chair, Board of Regents

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