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Alliance Executive Committee

Representing each WICHE state

The Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders is governed by an executive committee comprised of 16 individuals, with one selected from the members’ official representatives in each WICHE state and territory. This group has oversight responsibility for all of the activities of the Alliance. It meets face-to-face twice per year and otherwise by conference call as needed.

Eric Leshinskie

Alliance Executive Committee, Maricopa Community Colleges

ARIZONA

Eric Leshinskie

Alliance Executive Committee, Maricopa Community Colleges

Eric Leshinskie serves as the vice president of academic affairs at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, AZ. He has worked in various administrative leadership roles with the Maricopa Community Colleges for 15 years. Leshinskie earned his Doctorate in Education in leadership and innovation from Arizona State University (ASU). He is also an academic associate in the Mary Lou Fulton Teacher’s College at ASU. Leshinskie is a graduate of the League for Innovation’s Executive Leadership Institute (ELI), and he was recently selected as a member of the fourth class of the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence.

Jose Fierro

Alliance Executive Committee, California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office

CALIFORNIA

Jose Fierro

Alliance Executive Committee, California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office

Jose Fierro was appointed the president/superintendent of the Cerritos Community College District in July 2015. Under Fierro’s leadership, the College launched Cerritos Complete, the College’s official California College Promise program. Previously, he served as the vice president of academic affairs and chief academic officer at Laramie County Community College (LCCC). Prior to joining LCCC, Fierro served as an academic dean, associate dean of liberal arts and sciences, and professor of biological sciences at Florida State College. Fierro earned his D.V.M. from the University of Applied Sciences in Bogotá, Colombia; his M.S. in leadership and management of educational programs from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and his Ph.D. in higher education leadership from Northcentral University in Prescott, Arizona.

Landon Pirius

Alliance Executive Committee, Colorado Community College System

COLORADO

Landon Pirius

Alliance Executive Committee, Colorado Community College System

Landon K. Pirius is the vice president for academic and student affairs for the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). At CCCS, Pirius provides strategic leadership for all aspects of academic affairs, student affairs, and institutional research. Prior to his current position, he was the vice president for academic and student affairs at North Hennepin Community College. Pirius also served in a variety of leadership roles at Inver Hills Community College, Minnesota State University, Mankato, and Walden University, and as an adjunct faculty member. He completed his B.A. in Russian studies and environmental studies from Gustavus Adolphus College, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota.

Erika Lacro

Alliance Executive Committee, University of Hawaiʻi System

HAWAI'I

Erika Lacro

Alliance Executive Committee, University of Hawaiʻi System

Erika Lacro is the vice president for community colleges for the University of Hawaiʻi System. Lacro, the first woman to hold the chief executive position, served as Honolulu Community College chancellor starting in July 2012. Prior, she served as vice chancellor of academic affairs at the college and held several executive and management positions at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa. Lacro serves as commissioner for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association and is a former commissioner for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Lacro earned a master’s and bachelor’s degree in travel industry management, and a Ph.D. in communication and information sciences from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

Todd Schwarz

Alliance Executive Committee, College of Southern Idaho

IDAHO

Todd Schwarz

Alliance Executive Committee, College of Southern Idaho

In 2012, Idaho State Board of Education appointed Dr. Schwarz as the State Administrator of the Idaho Division of Professional-Technical Education where he oversaw all technical secondary and postsecondary education in Idaho, including workforce training and Adult Basic Education. Todd was asked to return to College of Southern Idaho in January 2014 to serve as the Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer. Since his return to CSI, he has continued to provide influence and leadership in southern Idaho and across the state, including the Idaho Workforce Development Council, Executive Committee of the Region IV Development Association Board, and Idaho Technology Council Board of Trustees. He received his associate’s degree from College of Southern Idaho and baccalaureate and graduate degrees in education and leadership from the University of Idaho and Boise State University.

Brock Tessman

Forum/Alliance Executive Committee, Montana University System

MONTANA

Brock Tessman

Forum/Alliance Executive Committee, Montana University System

Brock Tessman serves as the deputy commissioner of academic, research, and student affairs for the Montana University System. Prior to his current position, Tessman served as a professor of political science and dean of the Davidson Honors College at the University of Montana in Missoula. Tessman began his academic career at the University of Georgia, where he earned tenure in the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). Tessman graduated with an honors degree in international relations from Brown University and received both his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Jeffrey Alexander

Alliance Executive Committee, Truckee Meadows Community College

NEVADA

Jeffrey Alexander

Alliance Executive Committee, Truckee Meadows Community College

Jeffrey Alexander has served as vice president of academic affairs at Truckee Meadows Community College since 2021, and he collaborates with public institutions of higher education across Nevada. Previously, he served for six years as dean of arts and sciences at Pueblo Community College, prior to which he taught history at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Alexander is an historian of modern Japan and has published three books on Japanese consumer product manufacturing, sales, and consumption. He holds a B.A. in history from Brock University, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in history from The University of British Columbia.

Douglas Murray

Alliance Executive Committee, New Mexico Military Institute

NEW MEXICO

Douglas Murray

Alliance Executive Committee, New Mexico Military Institute

Brigadier General Douglas J. Murray, United States Air Force (Retired) is the chief academic officer for New Mexico Military Institute. Murray’s 42-year Air Force career included numerous positions in education, administration, leadership, strategic planning, and management. A 1965 Georgetown University School of Foreign Service graduate, he holds an M.A. from the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Texas, and a Ph.D. in government and defense policy from the University of Texas at Austin. Murray’s assignments included the US Air Force Academy, Deputy Chief – Secretary of the Air Force/Staff Group, and Division Chief – US European Command.

Kaylyn Bondy

Alliance Executive Committee, Bismarck State College

NORTH DAKOTA

Kaylyn Bondy

Alliance Executive Committee, Bismarck State College

Kaylyn Bondy serves as the vice president for student affairs at Bismarck State College (BSC) in Bismarck, North Dakota. She oversees student success and development, strategic enrollment planning, policy formation, and state/federal regulation implementation. Prior to her work at BSC, she led student affairs for nine years at Williston State College and worked prior to that in international education. Bondy received her B.A. in French from the University of North Dakota, a Master’s in French-American international business from l’Université de Caen Basse-Normadie, an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and will soon complete a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of North Dakota.

Donna Lewelling

Alliance Executive Committee, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission

OREGON

Donna Lewelling

Alliance Executive Committee, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission

Donna Lewelling is the interim director of the office of community colleges and workforce development at the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission. She has been involved in state-level higher education policy since 2006. In her role at the state, she as the privilege of leading a team that works every day to create pathways to success for Oregon’s students. Lewelling is passionate about community colleges and the students they serve. In 2018, she was awarded the Howard Cherry Outstanding Community College Advocate Award by the Oregon Community College Association for her outstanding contributions and advocacy for Oregon’s Community Colleges. Lewelling holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in human resources and a master’s degree in management and leadership.

Michael Cartney

Alliance Executive Committee, Lake Area Technical Institute

SOUTH DAKOTA

Michael Cartney

Alliance Executive Committee, Lake Area Technical Institute

Colonel Mike Cartney (USAF, retired) is president of Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown SD, recipient of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Cartney serves as an MHEC Commissioner, a participant on the HLC “Defining Student Success” project, and a founding member of the Education Counsel’s Institutional Leadership group. Cartney testified to the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, on education’s role in addressing the skilled workforce gap and making the country more competitive. He holds a B.S. in computer science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a M.Sc. in numerical analysis for Automated Data Processing (ADP) from Purdue University, attended numerous national and international military schools, and was a National Fellow to Harvard University’s Program on Information Resources Policy.

Clifton Sanders

Alliance Executive Committee, Alliance Chair, Salt Lake Community College

UTAH

Clifton Sanders

Alliance Executive Committee, Alliance Chair, Salt Lake Community College

Clifton Sanders has served Salt Lake Community College(SLCC) as provost for academic affairs since 2015. He is chief academic officer at SLCC, overseeing instruction and training for more than 61,000 students annually. Previously, he served in several roles at SLCC, including assistant professor of chemistry, division chair for natural sciences and communication, and dean of science, mathematics and engineering. Prior to his tenure at SLCC Sanders was a senior research scientist and co-inventor on six patents in biomaterials technology. He received his B.A. in chemistry from Hamline University and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Utah.

Carli Schiffner

Alliance Executive Committee, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

WASHINGTON

Carli Schiffner

Alliance Executive Committee, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

Carli Schiffner serves as the deputy executive director of education at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. She is a dedicated leader in higher education, with over fifteen years of progressive senior leadership experience in positions including interim university president, university provost, vice president for instruction, and dean of arts and sciences. Schiffner values servant leadership, collaboration, quality improvement, focusing on the whole student, an entrepreneurial spirit, equity, hard work, and a sense of humor. She has a B.A. in history and political science from Gonzaga University; a M.A. in cultural and intellectual history from Drew University; and a Ph.D. in American women’s history from Washington State University.

Kari Brown-Herbst

Alliance Executive Committee, Laramie County Community College

WYOMING

Kari Brown-Herbst

Alliance Executive Committee, Laramie County Community College

Kari Brown-Herbst is the interim vice president, academic affairs at Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Cheyenne, Wyoming. As the college’s chief academic officer, Brown-Herbst provides executive oversight and strategic guidance in the planning, development, and implementation of all aspects of academic programming as well as instructional support services. Brown-Herbst also serves as a representative to the LCCC Foundation Board, is the Wyoming Passport State Facilitator, and is also a member of the Peer Review Corps of the Higher Learning Commission. She received an Ed.D. in instructional technology from the University of Wyoming, her master’s in education technology from Marian University (Wisconsin) and her bachelor’s in sociology with an education endorsement from Kalamazoo College (Michigan).

Western Alliance Sidebar

Alliance Executive Committee

Representing each WICHE state

Eric Leshinskie

Jose Fierro

Landon Pirius

Erika Lacro

Todd Schwarz

Brock Tessman

Jeffrey Alexander

Douglas Murray

Kaylyn Bondy

Donna Lewelling

Michael Cartney

Clifton Sanders

Carli Schiffner

Kari Brown-Herbst

Governance Policies and Guidelines

Bylaws: Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders

Communications Policy: Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders

Guidelines for Executive Committee Candidates: Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders