AUGUSTA Maine — The Board of Trustees of the Maine Community College System (MCCS) has confirmed the recommendation of MCCS President David Daigler and appointed Dr. Kristen Miller as the next president of Southern Maine Community College (SMCC). She will begin in February.
SMCC President Kristen Miller
Miller was most recently the vice president of academic affairs at White Mountains Community College in New Hampshire, where she has worked since 2014. She previously served as associate vice president of academic affairs and as an admissions counselor there.
“Dr. Miller is the right person at the right time to lead SMCC,” Daigler said. “Her proven leadership as an innovative administrator, classroom instructor, and experience in implementing Guided Pathways and workforce training make her an outstanding choice who is well prepared to continue the strong forward momentum at Southern Maine Community College.”
Dr. Miller has made history by becoming the first female president of SMCC after nearly 78 years of its establishment.
While at White Mountains Community College, Miller played key leadership roles in several initiatives that are also underway at SMCC, including organizing academic offerings around Pathways, and proactively working with local businesses to ensure students get the education and training needed to meet current and future workplace needs in high-demand jobs.
“It is an honor and a privilege to join this remarkable institution, and I am truly humbled by the trust placed in me by President Daigler and the Board of Trustees,” Miller said. “I want to express my deepest appreciation to all those involved in this selection process. Your confidence in my abilities is both inspiring and motivating. I assure you that I am fully committed to upholding the values of academic excellence, inclusivity, and innovation that define this college.”
Miller also has experience as an educator: She has been a lecturer in education at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire since 2020, and previously worked as an adjunct professor of English at White Mountains Community College, and as a high school English teacher at Kennett High School in North Conway, New Hampshire.
“I am very pleased to welcome Kristen Miller as the new president of Southern Maine Community College,” Board Chairwoman Joyce Maker said. “She embodies the core values and goals that have brought so much success to SMCC, making her an excellent choice to lead SMCC now and into the future.”
Miller has a doctorate in higher education leadership from Capella University in Minnesota, a master’s degree in education and education leadership from the University of New England in Maine, and a bachelor’s degree in communications and English from Sonoma State University in California.
Miller serves on the board of trustees for Starting Point Services for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence, and on the board of directors for New Hampshire’s Jobs for America’s Graduates. She is also a member of the Educational Justice Institute of New England Board of Higher Education, and the Mount Washington Valley Career and Technical Center Advisory Board.
Miller was selected from an initial field of more than 50 candidates following a national search. She succeeds Joe Cassidy, who left in August 2023 to become president of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. SMCC Dean of Administration Tiffanie Bentley has served as interim president.
Southern Maine County Community College is the system’s oldest, largest, and most diverse college, with more than 6,000 students and offering 40-plus programs of study at the Portland and Brunswick campuses, online, and at satellite locations across southern Maine. The college also offers robust Early College and short-term workforce training programs. It is one of seven colleges in the Maine Community College System.