Lori M. Gonko has been named interim president of Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan. According to the most recent federal data, the school enrolls over 11,000 students, 56 percent of whom are women.
An administrator with the college since 2012, Dr. Gonko has been serving as the institution’s vice president of strategy and human resources. In this role, she oversees all strategic planning, human resources, institutional research and business intelligence, academic advising, and accreditation efforts at the college. She also currently teaches as an adjunct professor for the doctorate in community college leadership program at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
A two-time graduate of Oakland University in Michigan, Dr. Gonko holds a doctorate in community college leadership from Ferris State University.
Lena Tran, president of Columbia College in Sonora, California, has been appointed interim chancellor of Yosemite Community College District in Modesto, California. The district oversees Columbia College and Modesto Junior College. Combined, the institutions enroll nearly 20,000 students.
Dr. Tran has served as president of Columbia College since March 2022. Over the past three years, she has focused on advancing the community college’s workforce development opportunities and collaborating with local industry and education partners. Prior to her current role, she held executive positions with San Jose City College and Evergreen Valley College in California.
Dr. Tran holds a bachelor’s degree in international business from Montclair State University in New Jersey, an MBA from Seton Hall University in New Jersey, and a doctorate in organizational and leadership development from the University of San Francisco.
Laura Treanor is the new president of Virginia Western Community College. At its campus in Roanoke, Virginia, the college enrolls over 6,100 students, 56 percent of whom are women.
Most recently, Dr. Treanor was provost, senior vice president of instructional services, and dean of faculty at Vincennes University in Indiana. She has an extensive background in higher education leadership, previously serving in several vice presidential roles at Baker College in Flint, Michigan. She has also taught at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, West Virginia University, and Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina.
Dr. Treanor received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and her master’s degree in education from Ohio State University. She then returned to Virginia Tech to earn her doctorate in curriculum and instruction.