Carmen Simone has been selected to serve as interim president of Lake Region State College in North Dakota. The college enrolls about 1,800 students, 61 percent of whom are women.
Dr. Simone has over 30 years of experience in higher education, primarily at two-year colleges. Since 2022, Dr. Simone has served as dean and chief executive officer of Dakota College at Bottineau. Prior to her current role, she was president of Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. In addition to her administrative background, she previously taught chemistry at Casper College in Wyoming for over a decade.
A graduate of the University of North Dakota, Dr. Simone earned her doctorate in chemistry from Colorado State University.
Terri Grates Day has been appointed the fifth president of Herkimer County Community College in New York. The community college enrolls over 1,800 students. Women represent 55 percent of the student population.
A graduate of Herkimer College, Dr. Grates Day comes to her alma mater from Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tennessee, where she has served as vice president for academic affairs since 2022. Previously, she was vice provost for academic administration at the University of North Texas. She has also served in various capacities at Southern Utah State University, Tarrant County College District, and Jefferson Community College.
After receiving her associate’s degree in social sciences from Herkimer County Community College, Dr. Grates Day earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from what is now the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute. She holds a master’s degree in counseling and personnel services from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and higher education administration from the University of Dayton in Ohio.
Kimberlee S. Messina is the new chancellor of the City College of San Francisco in California. The school enrolls nearly 18,000 students, 54 percent of whom are women.
With over three decades of instructional and leadership experience, Dr. Messina has spent the past six years as president of Spokane Falls Community College in Washington. Her career in higher education began at Santa Rose Junior College, where she taught Spanish and served in several administrative capacities for 16 years. She has also served in leadership roles at Foothill College and the San Mateo County Community College District.
A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Messina holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of California, Davis.