Presidential Finalists - Central
Seattle Colleges has selected the finalists for the president position at Seattle Central College. A series of community forums, one for each candidate, will be held May 6-8.
The following professionals have been selected as finalists. Note, finalists are listed in the order for which they will interview and attend a campus forum at Seattle Central College. Biographies and photos were provided by the finalists.
Finalist: Dr. Lisa Cooper-Wilkins
Campus Forum: Monday, May 6, 9:15 to 10:15 a.m.
Location: BE1110 and 1111
For Zoom link, see email Presidential Search Finalists and Community Forums sent May 1.
Dr. Lisa Cooper Wilkins has deliberately cultivated a career of service
to students with an emphasis on access, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and success. An Aspen Presidential Fellow, a UC Davis Wheelhouse Aspiring Leaders Institute Fellow, and a Lakin Fellow, she takes pride in being a culturally responsive leader who is deeply committed to the transformational power of the community college and the multiple pathways to success it affordably creates for students. She believes it is her responsibility to advance authentic conversations about race and that students, faculty, and staff with all of their multiple identities must feel seen, heard, and directly engaged in making the necessary systemic changes to our institutions that will close the opportunity gaps impacting the most vulnerable members of our communities.
Dr. Cooper Wilkins was appointed the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at City College of San Francisco in 2020. As she navigated various faculty, administrative and counseling positions in her career from being the Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Services at Delta College, Dean in Academic Affairs at Community College of Philadelphia, Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement as well as Interim Assistant Provost at University of the Pacific to serving as Counselor/Assistant Professor at Northern Virginia Community College - all in service to students, her colleagues and her profession, Dr. Cooper Wilkins has prioritized holistically supporting and empowering students and employees. With deep respect for the direct impact that employees make to our students, Dr. Cooper Wilkins believes that when employees feel valued and supported, they show up as the best versions of themselves to elevate student success.
In her current role, she has partnered with the institutional advancement and effectiveness team to actively focus on continuous improvement by ensuring equitable access to student services at all locations, leading accreditation efforts related to student affairs, seeking ways to enhance the integration of planning and budgeting, and enacting participatory governance improvements based on evaluation results. Dr. Cooper Wilkins has also collaboratively created greater connections between the divisions of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs as well as advanced external relations by enhancing partnerships with area colleges, community-based organizations, the local unified school district as well as the City and County of San Francisco.
Dr. Cooper Wilkins is the proud recipient of the 2024 NASPA Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Dean/Vice President of Student Affairs; the 2024 Senior Level Professional Award from the American College Personnel Association’s Senior-Level Community of Practice; the 2020 Distinguished Career/Professional Service Award from Delta Kappa Gamma International Society; the San Joaquin Pride Center’s 2018 Education Champion Award; and the NAACP’s 2017 Medgar Evers Freedom Fighter Award.
She completed her doctoral degree at the George Washington University in Higher Education Administration in addition to master’s degrees from Villanova University in Counseling and Human Relations as well as Psychological Services from Marymount University. Dr. Cooper Wilkins remains actively engaged in public and professional service with a focus on mentoring, early literacy initiatives, and scholarship fundraising.
Finalist: Dr. Cornelius Johnson
Campus Forum: Tuesday, May 7, 9:15 to 10:15 a.m.
Location: BE1110 and 1111
For Zoom link, see email Presidential Search Finalists and Community Forums sent May 1.
Dr. Cornelius Johnson has had an opportunity to lead with passion and purpose in higher education for over 25 years. He has served in a range of leadership capacities in community college and four-year institutional settings, where at the heart of his educational philosophy lies an unwavering belief in the transformative power of accessible education. Recognizing the diverse needs and aspirations of students, he believes in creating a student-centered approach that prioritizes equity, diversity, and inclusion. Dr. Johnson is dedicated to creating an infrastructure where every student has the opportunity to thrive academically, personally, and professionally.
With more than 10 years of executive leadership in higher education, Dr. Johnson currently serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs & Student Services at Danville Community College, where he has the privilege of serving as the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Student Services Officer, and Chief Academic Officer for the institution.
During his tenure, he has led many achievements for Danville Community College, including the start of an early college program for high school juniors and seniors, the expansion toward a full-service student affairs division, the successful completion of a 5th-year interim report for the college's regional accreditation of SACSCOC, and a comprehensive enrollment management plan involving faculty, student services, business services, and community partners. Each of these actions contributed to improved student outcomes, enrollment increases each year, and ranking in the top 5 of 23 schools in the Virginia Community College System for FTEs. These wins were accomplished by developing intentional partnerships, working with key elected officials, industry partners, universities, and community leaders. His leadership resume entails serving as a Dean of Student Services for more than seven years at two different institutions, including his work as a faculty member at Indiana State University, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Houston-Downtown, and Lone Star College-Tomball. As a Program Manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center, he recruited and supported some of the nation's brightest scholars across the country in the field of STEM.
During his tenure at El Centro College, he co-led the Dallas Community College District of 7 colleges in the redesign of the student experience in creating a student life cycle framework for Guided Pathways. This student-centered model provided an enrollment management blueprint to re-align student services and resources in support of student success by addressing the issues of student retention, completion, and the insecurity of food, housing, and finances. Dr. Johnson currently serves as a member of the American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Structured Pathways.
Dr. Johnson holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership Administration from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, a master's in Higher Education from Indiana State University, a bachelor's in Communications from the University of Washington, an Associate of Arts Degree from Seattle Central College, and is an alum of the AACC Future Presidents Institute. Dr. Johnson has a passion for supporting not only the students who are pursuing their dreams and aspirations, but also partnering and supporting faculty, staff, administration, and community who are championing their causes.
Finalist: Dr. Bradley Lane
Campus Forum: Wednesday, May 8, 9:15 to 10:15 a.m.
Location: BE1110 and 1111
For Zoom link, see email Presidential Search Finalists and Community Forums sent May 1.
Dr. Bradley Lane currently serves as interim president of Seattle Central College, where he has worked to stabilize the college’s leadership team, enrollment, and finances over the past two years. In this interim role, Dr. Lane has concentrated on establishing key community and industry partnerships for workforce programs and secured over 3 million dollars in new college funding through a combination of corporate and private fundraising and legislative advocacy.
Dr. Lane has held a variety of faculty and administrative appointments at the Seattle Colleges, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Indiana University, and Vanderbilt University. In the California Community College system, he also served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Santa Monica College. Within Seattle Colleges, Dr. Lane has previously served as Executive Vice President of Instruction, Finance, and Planning; Vice President of Instruction; Executive Dean for Academic Affairs; and Dean of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, in addition to teaching classes in English, Humanities, and Gender and Women Studies.
In his career, Dr. Lane has led many efforts to increase adaptive, competency-based, and highly flexible learning and teaching strategies, at one point receiving a national fellowship on digital learning from the Association of Chief Academic Officers. Among his many accomplishments, he has launched large-scale faculty development programs to increase equity in teaching gateway courses; developed affinity groups and mentoring programs for faculty of color; and implemented guided pathways equitably through the inclusion of student voices and initiatives that center the experiences of Black, Latino/a/x, and Asian and Pacific Islander college students.
Dr. Lane holds a master's degree in Teaching, Learning, and Diversity from Peabody College at Vanderbilt and a Ph.D. in Communication and Culture and Gender Studies from Indiana University.
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