New Community College Executive Director To Be Named

RIDGELAND, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi’s Community College Board is interviewing four candidates for executive director and could name someone this month.

The board met Wednesday in closed session at the Ridgeland campus of Holmes Community College to conduct the interviews.

The names of the candidates are not listed on an agenda published by the board.

Deborah Gilbert, who has been the interim executive director since July 1, says the board plans to name a permanent leader by Sept. 21.

Former Mississippi State University President Malcolm Portera has been leading the search.

The 10-member board was deadlocked for months over whether it would hire Debra West as its executive director or restart the search. That standoff ended only when West withdrew from consideration in April.

Eric Clark retired after holding the post for seven years.