MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Area Technical College District Board has selected four finalists to be the college’s next president.
The new president, scheduled to be in place by July 1, will replace President Vicki J. Martin, Ph.D., who is retiring after 10 years in the position and nearly four decades at MATC.
“Identifying the college’s next president is critically important for our future as an institution and for the future of the region we all share,” said Mark F. Foley, chairperson of the MATC District Board.
The four finalists were selected after a rigorous review of applications and initial interviews with board members. Each one will visit the college later this month, and MATC faculty, students and staff have been invited to hear from them.
The college’s presidential search partner, Greenwood Asher & Associates, received more than 50 applications for the role. The firm also helped gather input from 50 students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members who attended input sessions and 90 people who completed online surveys.
“That input and GA&A’s expertise helped us build a strong profile and promote the position strategically across the country, with an emphasis on diverse communities,” Foley said.
The four finalists chosen are:
Dr. Monica Brown: Currently serves as the senior vice president for student affairs at Montgomery College, a multi-campus institution in the suburbs of Washington, DC, with a diverse population of 43,000 credit and non-credit students representing more than 155 nations.
Dr. Brown provides leadership and vision for the student affairs division, consisting of more than 300 full-time and part-time faculty and staff across three campuses and central services. Prior to becoming the chief student affairs officer, she served in several leadership roles with direct oversight for counseling and advising, disability support services, student life, student support services, veterans services, and athletics. She is an equity-minded, student-centered, collaborative leader who strives to foster a culture of respect and collaboration. She has experience working with governance and collective bargaining.
Dr. Brown earned a doctorate in higher education administration from Morgan State University, a master’s degree in counseling from Trinity College and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow (2021) and the Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership (2019).
Dr. Anthony Cruz: Currently serves as president of the Kendall Campus of Miami Dade College. During his 28 years of higher education experience, Dr. Cruz has used his expertise to increase educational opportunities, enhance the student experience and bolster student success. He has held leadership roles such as campus president, vice chancellor, vice president and dean at several community colleges and universities.
These valuable experiences have given him a profound understanding of the complexity of the higher education landscape and the opportunity to celebrate the rich diversity of the unique backgrounds and perspectives of the students, faculty and staff that he has served. He works collaboratively with community partners to build pathways and initiatives to remove barriers to student success. He is committed to creating innovative approaches to reduce the skills gap and increase the number of college graduates. Moreover, he is a firm believer in a students first educational philosophy.
Dr. Cruz has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida International University, a Master in Public Administration from Florida State University and a doctorate in higher education from Florida International University.
Dr. Mark Curtis-Chávez: Currently serving as provost of College of DuPage, the largest single campus community college in Illinois. Dr. Curtis-Chávez oversees Academic and Student Affairs as the chief academic and the chief student affairs officer. In addition, he oversees Continuing Education, Workforce, and the performing and visual arts programs of the McAninch Arts Center.
With 20+ years of experience in community colleges in teaching and leadership, Dr. Curtis-Chávez is deeply committed to its mission of open access and student success. He has led strategic enrollment management efforts in order to open doors of opportunity to under-served and under-resourced communities. He has also been responsive to the community’s needs, building dual-credit programs and working with companies to create new degrees and certificates.
Dr. Curtis-Chávez has a doctorate in higher education from the University of Toledo, a master’s degree in English from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Indiana University.
Dr. Tina Marie Jackson: Currently serves as the assistant commissioner of workforce education at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. In this role, she works with all aspects of career and technical workforce initiatives and programs, including administration of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, Texas Reskilling & Upskilling Education (TRUE) Program, and Work Based Learning.
Prior to joining the Coordinating Board in 2020, Dr. Jackson served as the district director of developmental education at Collin College. In this role, she worked districtwide on issues related to developmental education, completion and guided pathways to careers. In March 2019, Dr. Jackson’s Developmental Education Program received the “2019 Promising Program Award” by the National Association of Developmental Education. In July 2018, Dr. Jackson was one of only 20 individuals across the United States selected for the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE) Leadership and Mentoring Institute.
Dr. Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate in educational administration from The University of Texas at Austin.
See more on the presidential search and the four finalists
About MATC: Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.