BCC Trustees Vote to Hire Hara Charlier as Next President
One by one, during a special meeting at Berkshire Community College, board members expressed their conviction that Hara Charlier was the best candidate to lead after Ellen Kennedy retires. They unanimously recommended Charlier as the next president of BCC to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.
"We're not trying to hire a replacement for Dr. Kennedy; We are trying to hire our next leader," Chair Julia Bowen said.
Charlier, currently the president of Central Lakes College in Brainerd, Minn., was one of four finalists identified by the Presidential Search Committee who visited the campus. She was not on site, but was called after the vote.
Catheryn Chacon Ortega was impressed by how Charlier connected with students and faculty, as well as her passion and breadth of experience.
"As the appointed alumni, I put myself in the students' shoes when I was thinking about this, and I think I feel very represented by her, like if I come back as a student here, I think she will be a person that will be open doors to me, to my community, to the immigrant community, to everybody," she said.
Danielle Gonzalez feels Charlier has a "very" clear commitment to the community part of community college, and a deep experience of serving underserved populations, "really just with great enthusiasm."
"I think that in addition to having really deep community college leadership experience, she was able to articulate a very thorough understanding of the issues of the college of Berkshire County, of what those opportunities might look like, and how she would connect what her experience has been with how she could drive the school forward," said Julie Hughes, a newer member of the board.
"She clearly brings a passion to the work, and that's evident in all of our conversations."
Alumni representative Melissa Myers explained that it was an emotional vote for her because BCC is important. She was impressed that Charlier seemed comfortable with all groups, including legislators, made everyone laugh multiple times in an interview, and was energized even after multiple long days on campus.
"She was an excellent storyteller. We could all picture what she was describing to us. She was transparent, she was curious," Myers said.
"We had excellent candidates, but she just clearly rose above in every category."
A couple of board members also voiced support for Karen Hynick, acting provost at Connecticut State since 2024. The other candidates were Nicole Esposito, chief executive officer of Manchester Community College in New Hampshire, and Albert Lewis Jr., chief of staff/executive vice president at Northwest State Community College in Ohio.
After the board meeting, Bowen called Charlier, and there were cheers when she re-entered the room and reported that Charlier was excited about the opportunity. The Board of Trustees' recommendation is contingent upon approval by the Board of Higher Education.
Bowen said upon hearing that she was being recommended for the appointment, Charlier told her, "I am honored to advance to this next phase of the process to join Berkshire Community College at this important moment in its history. I deeply respect the College's legacy and its unwavering commitment to students and community. "
Charlier holds a doctorate in community college leadership from Old Dominion University and has a background science, with a bachelor's in animal science from Cornell University and a master's in microbiology from Miami University. She is a two-time Aspen Presidents Fellow and serves on the boards of national and regional economic development and philanthropic organizations.
She has been president of Central Lakes, part of the 33-institution Minnesota State system, since 2016. During her tenure, the college has launched more than 20 new academic programs and cultivated a "culture of caring." Central Lakes is one of the Aspen Institute's Top 200 Community Colleges.
This vote came after a more than six-month process that began with Kennedy's announcement of her upcoming retirement after more than 17 years with the college, 14 as president. Negotiations will begin for salary and start date, and the hope is to have Charlier begin for the new fiscal year, July 1.
The next president will earn between $240,000 to $300,000, a salary established by the Board of Higher Education.
"We started back in September with Ellen's announcement that she was going to retire, and once we could get back on our feet after hearing that, the race was on to make sure that we ran a process that was as thorough, inclusive, and expedient, because we wanted to know we could have somebody in place for July one," Bowen explained.
Academic Search was hired as the search firm, and a 16-member (14 voting) search committee was formed that was a "True representation of the diversity of this campus and the diversity of perspectives that we need at the table," she said.
"Extensive" listening sessions were conducted to inform the presidential profile, or job description, that was advertised, and Academic Search used a variety of sources to ensure the candidate pool was truly diverse, Bowen said.
More than 65 applicants from across the country were reviewed for the position. Ten candidates became semi-finalists, and those were narrowed down to four finalists for in-person interviews and site visits, which were conducted in February and March.
Bowen said they were all experienced leaders on their own campuses and brought a lot of diverse experiences to the table. Board members noted that they were fortunate to have so many strong candidates vying for the opportunity to represent BCC.
Tags: BCC, college president,
