JWCC names three finalists for new president

QUINCY — John Wood Community College has identified three people as finalists to be the school’s next president.

Three men will be in Quincy in early October for in-person interviews. One of them will succeed Mike Elbe, who served as President since 2014. Elbe is staying on through December and his successor is expected to start in January 2023. 

The finalists are:

Dr. Jim Lemerond has served as the Vice President of Instruction at Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland, Wisconsin since 2018. Previously at the college, he served in the Dean of Business, Technology, and Hospitality as well as the Dean of Health and Human Services.  Jim has taught Radiography at LTC in a full-time and adjunct capacity.  He has been employed full-time by the college since 2007 and served as an adjunct faculty from 2001-2003. He has served in roles at other colleges and in the field at hospitals as a radiography technician. Jim received his doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of the Cumberlands. 

Dr. Bryan Renfro currently works as the Vice President of Academic Instruction at Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas. Previously, Bryan served in various academic affairs leadership roles, including the Associate Vice Provost of Academic and Workforce Affairs at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. He was also the Dean of Business and Public Services at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa. Throughout his career in higher education, Bryan has taught courses in anthropology, criminal justice, and education. He has a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Arkansas and a doctorate from Iowa State University in Higher Education Administration with an emphasis in Community College Leadership.

Dr. Jerry Thomas has served as the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at National Park College in Hot Springs, Arkansas since 2016. Previously, he was the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, New Jersey, from 2013 to 2015. During Jerry’s employment at Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, Arkansas, from 1993 to 2013 he served in various student affairs positions and maintained an adjunct instructor position teaching US History courses at the university. Jerry has a doctorate in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University-Commerce. 

John Wood Community College Final Presidential Candidate Interview Schedule, open to the public

Jim Lemerond:  Monday, October 3, 2022 (Day 1) & October 4 (Day 2)

Bryan Renfro:    Monday, October 10, 2022 (Day 1) & October 11 (Day 2)

Jerry Thomas:   Wednesday, October 12, 2022 (Day 1) & October 13 (Day 2)

Day 1:

JWCC Quincy Campus, Auditorium, Building D, 1:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

1301 South 48^th Street, Quincy, IL  62305

Day 2:

JWCC Southeast Education Center, 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

39637 260th Avenue, Pittsfield, IL 62363