Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College Announces Presidential Candidate Finalists

Mount Gay, W.Va. – Following an extensive nationwide search, the Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College Board of Governors / Presidential Search Committee is pleased to announce that three presidential finalist candidates have been selected from a pool of seven semi-finalists who participated in first-round confidential interviews during a day-long session on Thursday, March 5th.

“Southern is a leader in preparing students for success, and it showed in the number of talented candidates who applied to be our next President,” Howard Seufer, the official spokesperson for the Search Committee, said. “We are delighted to take the next step with these three impressive finalists, each of whom has academic and leadership experience that seems well-suited to our needs. We look forward to their campus visits and the feedback from those with whom they will meet.”

The three candidates selected to move forward in the process are (unranked):

• Dr. Pamela Alderman, a lifelong resident of Chapmanville, W.Va., currently serves as the Dean of the Bert Bradford School of Health Sciences, Chair of the Capito Department of Nursing, and Professor of Nursing at the University of Charleston. Prior to her employment there, Dr. Alderman worked 28 years at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, serving in various administrative and professorial capacities.Dr. Alderman was appointed by the Chancellor of the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia to facilitate the development and implementation of a common, concept-based nursing curriculum in five community colleges in West Virginia. A 1977 graduate of Southern West Virginia Community College, Dr. Alderman received an Associate of Science in Nursing and an Associate of Arts in General Studies degree.She graduated from West Virginia University in 1987 and 1990 obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing. In 2012, she received her Doctor of Education with a major in Leadership Studies and an area of emphasis in Appalachian Studies from Marshall University.
• Mr. Timothy Hood has served as President of Highland Community College in northwest Illinois since 2015. Before becoming President, he served at HCC as Vice President of Academics/Chief Academic Officer (CAO) from 2011-2014, then as Executive Vice President/CAO. Prior to his nine years at Highland, Dr. Hood served for five total years at Kaskaskia College (KC) in southern Illinois as Vice President of Instruction/CAO for three years, after being promoted from Dean of Corporate Training and Community Education.Prior to moving into administration, Mr. Hood began his career in higher education as a faculty member. He taught communication at Madisonville Community College in Kentucky from 1993-2002, and workforce development classes for business and industry.Mr. Hood holds a Bachelor’s degree in public relations and a Master’s degree in organizational communication from SIU-C. He is now finishing his dissertation for a Ph.D. in organizational communication.
• Dr. Martin Reimer currently serves as the Provost at Ellsworth Community College (ECC), an institution that is part of the Iowa Valley Community College District. Working in the community college system, Dr. Reimer has focused on building learner-centered approaches to increase student success.Dr. Reimer began his career as an elementary teacher at the Colegio Americano in Puebla, Mexico, before transitioning into international business. He worked in the oil industry for Trouvay & Cauvin in Houston, Texas, and in institutional banking with JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Houston and Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Reimer worked as the Dean of Corporate College and Dean of Student Support at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, Iowa, before joining the ECC team.Dr. Reimer earned a doctor of philosophy degree in higher education administration from Capella University. He holds a master of business administration degree in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a bachelor of arts degree from Central College in Pella, Iowa.

On-campus interviews will be conducted the week of April 6th. We will announce the dates and times of the public forums once they are confirmed. During the on-campus visits, finalist candidates will participate in open forums with faculty, staff, students and community members. The campus community will have the opportunity to provide feedback on each of the finalists. All feedback will be sent to the Board of Governors as part of their deliberation process. Each candidate will also be scheduled for a final interview with the Presidential Search Committee, the Chancellor for Community and Technical College Education, and members of the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education.

The ultimate responsibility for selecting Southern’s 10th president rests with the Board of Governors, but they are committed to an inclusive process and look forward to receiving feedback from the college community. It is anticipated the Board will make its recommendation of the chosen candidate in late April to the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education (Council). The appointment and contract of the new president will require final approval from the Council.

Please direct questions or feedback regarding the presidential search to , or you may complete an on-line comment form at https://www.southernwv.edu/presidential-search-public-comment/

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