After seven productive years as president of Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), Ron Cantor has announced that he will be stepping back from daily operations at SMCC on July 31 to work on strategic initiatives at the System level.
“The Board is grateful to Ron for his leadership of our largest college and his deep commitment to the students and businesses we serve,” said Jean Ginn Marvin, Chair of the MCCS Board of Trustees. “His tenure has been marked by the launch of SMCC’s Midcoast Campus in Brunswick, strong community partnerships, and progressive programming in a number of areas. Moreover, this past year, he has ushered the college through its reaccreditation process and the launch of its comprehensive student success initiative.”
The transition at SMCC comes at an important time for the state’s community college system. The colleges have just begun a comprehensive three-year, Systemwide student success initiative. They are also undertaking new strategic investments in workforce training. Together, these initiatives will be the centerpiece of the System’s new three-year strategic plan, the goal of which is to ensure that Maine’s community colleges continue to adapt to the changing educational and employment needs of the state.
To keep the momentum of this important work moving forward without disruption or delay, the MCCS Board of Trustees has accepted the recommendation of MCCS President Derek Langhauser to postpone conducting a traditional search at this time, and will instead appoint to three-year terms Joseph Cassidy, currently the president of Washington County Community College (WCCC), to serve as president of SMCC, and Susan Mingo, WCCC’s Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Services, to succeed Joe as president of WCCC. Both will assume their new duties on August 1.
“Our System is extremely fortunate to have strong leaders across our colleges who make it possible to ensure that its institutions continue to be well run during periods of transition,” noted Langhauser. “Both Joe Cassidy and Susan Mingo will bring steady, proven leadership to their new posts and will enable both institutions to continue their strong forward momentum.”
- Joe Cassidy has served Washington County Community College for the past 14 years, as an instructor, president of the WCCC Faculty Association, and since 2013, as the college’s president. In 2015/2016, he simultaneously served as interim president of Eastern Maine Community College. He holds a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law and a Master of Science in Education from the University of Southern Maine.
- Susan Mingo joined the administration of Washington County Community College in 2005. For nearly seven years, as Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Services, she has overseen admissions, financial aid, student services, marketing, community education, and the college’s student success and retention efforts. She serves as the senior staff member of the Campus Executive Team and holds a master’s in human relations with a concentration in college student affairs from Husson University.
Presidents Cassidy and Mingo will each be given a three-year appointment, at the conclusion of which the Board, in consultation with the System president and each of the college communities, will determine whether a search for a new president should be conducted at that time.