Two Women College Presidents Announce Their Resignations

Anita Thomas, president of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, has stepped down from her role during a leave of absence. Her resignation was effective July 30, about one year after she took office on July 1, 2023.

When she assumed her presidency last summer, Dr. Thomas became the college’s first woman and first person of color to hold the position. She came to North Central College after decades of experience in higher education. Most recently, she served as the executive vice president and provost of St. Catherine University, an undergraduate women’s and graduate co-ed institution in St. Paul, Minnesota. Earlier in her career, she spent 10 years with Loyola University Chicago, serving as a professor of counseling psychology and school counseling. She also had a stint at the University of Indianapolis, where she was the founding dean of the College of Applied Behavioral Sciences.

Dr. Thomas’ academic pursuits in the field of psychology led her to co-authoring two books: Culture and Identity: Stories for Therapists and Counselors (SAGE, 2016) and Dimensions of Multicultural Counseling: A Life Story Approach (SAGE, 2008).

A native of Louisville, Dr. Thomas is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she majored in education and social policy. She holds a master’s degree in community counseling and a doctorate in counseling psychology from Loyola University Chicago.

Linda C. Young, president of Wallace Community College-Dothan in Alabama, has announced her intent to retire on October 1 after over three decades in the role.

In 1988, Dr. Young became president of Sparks State Technical College in Eufaula, making her the first woman president to lead a technical college in Alabama. When Sparks State and Wallace Community College-Dothan merged in 1999, Dr. Young was selected to lead the new institution. During her long presidency, she focused on establishing workforce and economic development initiatives and creating special educational programs tailored to adult women.

Dr. Young’s career in the Alabama Community College System began at Enterprise State Junior College, where she held several academic and administrative positions. Later in her career, she served as executive assistant to the chancellor of the Alabama Community College System Office and as dean of academic affairs at Lurleen B. Wallace Junior College in Andalusia.

Dr. Young is a two-time graduate of Troy University in Alabama, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business education and a master’s degree in the foundations of education. She holds a doctorate in vocational and adult education from Auburn University in Alabama.