The governing board for Central Arizona College, which runs a campus in San Tan Valley, has named Lisa Rhine as the college's 10th president.

The Pinal County Community College District Governing Board appointed Rhine after a national search. The board met in special session on Thursday, July 16, reviewed survey feedback the public submitted after candidate forums held earlier that week, and voted to open contract negotiations with its finalist. Those negotiations have since closed, making the appointment official.

What the College Runs Here

Central Arizona College's San Tan Campus sits at 3736 E. Bella Vista Road. The college opened a small education center in San Tan Valley in 2009, then replaced it with the current campus in January 2014 as the area grew.

Students can finish an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science entirely at that campus without driving to Coolidge or Signal Peak. The campus also offers certificate programs in nursing assistant work, communication studies and pharmacy technician training, which are short credentials aimed at getting someone into a job rather than transferring to a university. The building holds a public library, a culinary classroom, a makerspace lab and community rooms that residents can rent.

That is the practical stake for a San Tan Valley reader. The person running the district sets the budget priorities and program decisions for all five campuses, including this one.

Rhine's Background

Rhine has worked in higher education leadership for more than 37 years. She comes to Pinal County from Yavapai College in Prescott, where she was president and chief executive officer. Before Arizona, she was provost and chief operating officer of the Chesapeake Campus of Tidewater Community College in Virginia, and held faculty and leadership jobs at colleges in Ohio and Kentucky. She holds a doctorate in educational administration.

She was an inaugural Aspen Presidential Fellow in 2016 and 2017, a national program that trains community college leaders. Her stated focus areas are student success, workforce development and building partnerships with employers, which is the same lane the San Tan campus certificate programs operate in.

"My initial task isn't to have all the answers, it's to ask good questions, listen carefully, and build on the extraordinary work already happening at Central Arizona College," Rhine said in the college's announcement.

The Handoff

Rhine takes over from Interim President Karin Hilgersom, who has led the college since President Jackie Elliott retired earlier this month. The college did not give a start date in its announcement, and as of Aug. 17 its website still listed Hilgersom as interim president and chief executive officer.