As the semester winds down ahead of Friday’s graduation and holiday break, Amarillo College will be hosting open forums and closed meetings early this week with the two presidential finalists on campus, the latest step in the process to determine the school’s next leader.
The public forums are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in Ordway Hall on AC’s Washington Street Campus, where the two AC presidential finalists, Dr. Frank Sobey and Dr. Jamelle J. Conner, will present their visions for the future of the college. Both candidates will make opening remarks and then respond to questions curated from AC employees, students, and community members.
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Forum with Sobey: 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9
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Forum with Conner: 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10.
As previously reported by the college, the purpose of these forums is to give internal and external stakeholders the opportunity to become acquainted with each of the candidates’ vision, and everyone within the AC community and the general public is invited to attend. Recordings of both forums will be accessible for viewing afterward online at https://www.actx.edu/president/.
Dr. Frank Sobey, vice president of academic affairs (VPAA) at Amarillo College
Sobey, Ed.D., vice president for academic affairs (VPAA) at Amarillo College, joined the AC faculty as an instructor of English in 2005. He became assistant professor in 2009; chair of English, Humanities, and Languages in 2014; and dean of Arts and Sciences and later associate VPAA in 2016, before he entered into his current role with AC earlier this year. The San Antonio native has three degrees from Texas Tech University, including a doctoral degree in higher education administration, and he has chaired or helped lead a number of high-priority initiatives at the college.
Dr. Jamelle J. Conner, vice president of student affairs at St. Petersburg College
Conner, Ph.D., has served as vice president of student affairs at St. Petersburg College since 2018. The four-year public college in St. Petersburg, Fla., serves almost 40,000 students a year. She began her work at the college in 2008 as associate vice president of strategic execution and administrative systems support. Seven years later, she was named provost of the St. Petersburg/Gibbs campus, where she served for three years. Conner earned a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Tampa (Fla.) in 2001, and she completed her Ph.D. in leadership and education, with a specialization in higher education administration, at Barry University (Fla.), in 2018.
During a meeting Oct. 22, AC regents approved Sobey and Conner as the two finalists unanimously, based on recommendations they received from the search advisory committee. Each of the candidates then attended in-person interviews with the board, which on Nov. 19 voted to invite both to take part in the forums. Following each forum, AC board members will once again meet with the two candidates individually in closed session for further interviews.
AC’s Fall Commencement is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13 at the Amarillo Civic Center, followed by Christmas break beginning Dec. 19, according to the school’s calendar on its website.
A special meeting with the AC Board of Regents has been scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m. on the Washington Street Campus, in the College Union Building, 2nd Floor, Palo Duro Board Room at 2201 S. Washington St., for closed session to discuss the board’s selection for president, including deliberation for appointment, employment and duties. “After discussion, the Board of Regents may select a President for Amarillo College and direct staff to negotiate an employment contract,” a meeting agenda states.
In April 2023, Amarillo College was co-recipient of the prestigious Aspen Prize national award after having been named a Rising Star and finalist in a previous year. AC’s presidential search began in summer 2023, after Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart was tabbed for the position of chancellor of Austin Community College, which he later accepted that year. Denese Skinner, vice president of student affairs, has been serving as interim president.
The college will reopen for the year on Jan. 2.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo College community to meet presidential finalists