Date To Be Announced
Presidential Search Event
Event details, location, time, participation information, and related links will appear here.
Presidential Search
Yavapai College
Yavapai College Presidential Search
Yavapai College is conducting a comprehensive search for its next president. This site will provide information, updates, opportunities for community participation, and resources related to the presidential search process.
About the Search
Introduction
Yavapai College is embarking on an important search for its next President who will shape the future of the College and the communities we serve. The College President leads a dynamic leadership team and advances Yavapai College’s mission, supports student success, strengthens partnerships throughout Yavapai County, and positions the College for continued growth and innovation. The Yavapai College Search Committee is committed to conducting an open, transparent and inclusive search process that welcomes meaningful input from faculty, staff, students, community partners and residents throughout the county. Together, we look forward to engaging our community in this important conversation and identifying a leader who will build on the College’s strengths and help guide Yavapai College into an exciting future.
Presidential Search
Search Committee
The Presidential Search Committee includes representatives from Yavapai College leadership, faculty and staff, and communities throughout Yavapai County.
College Leadership
- Jack Smith Committee Chair Vice President of Community Relations & Legislative Affairs
- Patrick Burns Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Jason Ebersole Dean, Health Sciences & Public Services. Lead Dean Workforce Development
- Marnee Zazueta Chino Valley Campus Dean
- Tania Sheldahl AVP Student Affairs, Dean of Students
- Stacey Hilton AA AVP Instruction & Early College, Academic Instructional Support
- Irina Del Genio Dean Verde Valley Campus Administration
- Bryan Robertson Dean School of Business, Visual and Performing Arts
Faculty & Staff
- Alex Barber Faculty, Commercial Driver Training
- Curtis Kleinman Faculty, Spanish
- Heather Knowles Staff Association President, Academic Advisor I
- Leslie Sparkman-Winsor AA Scheduling Director
- Susanne Baker ISS, School of Business
- Heather Leavitt Faculty Senate President, ECE/EDU Faculty
Community Representatives
- Dr. Anthony Torres President / CEO Yavapai Regional Medical Center
- Sandy Griffis Executive Director Yavapai County Contractors Association
- Robyn Prud'homme-Bauer Clarkdale Mayor
- Buddy Rocha Jr. Yavapai Apache Nation Chairman
Leadership
Yavapai College President Profile
Yavapai College invites applications and nominations for its next President: an exceptional opportunity to lead an innovative, comprehensive community college serving one of Arizona's most distinctive and dynamic regions.
Download the President Position Profile (PDF) Opens in a new tab.
Reporting to the elected five-member Yavapai College District Governing Board, the President serves as Chief Executive Officer and provides strategic, academic, operational and external leadership for the College. The incoming President will lead at an important point in the College's accreditation cycle, with the Higher Learning Commission Assurance Review scheduled for February 2027.
The Opportunity
For six decades, Yavapai College has expanded educational access, strengthened communities, developed regional workforce talent and created pathways to opportunity throughout Yavapai County. The College's next President will build on considerable strengths: committed faculty and staff, an experienced leadership team, a solid financial foundation, highly regarded academic and workforce programs, broad community partnerships and a culture willing to challenge convention and explore what is possible.
The opportunity is to determine where YC can make the greatest difference, align people and resources around clear priorities, and ensure innovation translates into meaningful outcomes for students and communities throughout Yavapai County.
Opportunities and Challenges
From Innovation to Impact
The next chapter calls for disciplined innovation: establishing clear priorities, completing and evaluating work already underway, aligning resources with high-impact opportunities, and using meaningful data to determine what should grow, evolve or conclude. Expanded baccalaureate pathways, technology modernization, housing and the anticipated transition into NAIA/GSAC athletics bring exciting opportunities that require thoughtful sequencing, resource alignment and disciplined execution.
Build Confidence, Connection and Shared Purpose
The President will strengthen trust and connection through authentic engagement with faculty, staff and students; transparent institutional direction; clarity, accountability and follow-through. A productive Board-President partnership requires open communication, mutual respect, sound judgment and respect for the distinct roles of governance and administration.
Lead a College Inseparable From Its Communities
The President must understand the educational and economic landscape of Yavapai County and cultivate sustained relationships with K-12 systems, postsecondary partners, employers, healthcare organizations, chambers of commerce, workforce and economic-development organizations, tribal communities, elected officials and civic leaders.
Make Strategic Choices for a Sustainable Future
Changing enrollment markets, specialized program costs, workforce needs, technology, facilities, housing and Arizona's public-sector financial environment require sophisticated institutional and financial stewardship. The goal is strategic capacity: preserving the financial and organizational flexibility to invest confidently in the opportunities that matter most.
Champion Students and the People Who Serve Them
Strong leadership will understand the culture, develop talent, empower capable leaders, remove barriers and create accountability. Across YC's broad mission, the ultimate measure remains simple: making a meaningful difference for students.
The Leader We Seek
YC seeks an accomplished leader with the intellect, emotional intelligence and executive presence to lead a complex institution in a highly visible environment. The successful candidate will combine visionary leadership with strategic discipline, curiosity with sound judgment, confidence with humility, decisiveness with a genuine willingness to listen, and political acuity with impartiality.
A strong communicator and relationship builder, the President must be credible with faculty and students, the Governing Board, business and industry leaders, elected officials and community partners. Above all, this should be a leader whose ambition is principally for Yavapai College, its students, its people and the communities it serves.
Qualifications and Experience
Minimum Requirements
- An earned master's degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Seven years of significant, progressively responsible executive leadership experience at the vice president level or above in higher education.
- Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, organizational leadership and implementation.
- Significant experience managing complex budgets and allocating resources strategically.
- Demonstrated success developing and leading high-performing teams.
- Experience working effectively with governing boards and/or multiple stakeholder constituencies.
Highly Competitive Candidates Will Demonstrate
- An earned doctorate or other terminal degree and senior executive leadership experience in a comprehensive community college or similarly complex higher-education environment.
- A record of translating strategy into focused priorities, successful execution and measurable outcomes.
- Financial and operational acumen, including strategic resource allocation, long-range planning and responsible stewardship.
- Experience evaluating programs, investments and emerging opportunities through mission, student and community need, outcomes and sustainability.
- Success developing, empowering and holding accountable high-performing executive teams while sustaining employee engagement and culture.
- Success cultivating partnerships with business and industry, K-12 education, government, workforce and economic-development organizations, donors and community leaders.
- Understanding of enrollment, student success, workforce and career and technical education, multi-campus operations, philanthropy and institutional accreditation.
- Proficiency with and willingness to embrace artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, with sound judgment regarding their strategic, educational, operational and ethical implications.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, integrity, emotional intelligence, resilience, humility and courage.
How to Apply
The Yavapai College District Governing Board and Presidential Search Committee invite applications and nominations for the position of President of Yavapai College. All inquiries, nominations, referrals and applications will be treated confidentially and directed to Cizek Associates, Inc.
Soft Application Deadline: October 11, 2026
While the position will remain open until filled, materials received by this date are guaranteed full consideration.
A complete application includes:
- Letter of interest demonstrating alignment with the Presidential Position Profile
- Resume or curriculum vitae
- Minimum of six professional references
Search Consultant:
Sheila Lehker, President
Cizek Associates, Inc.
602-553-1066
ycpresident@cizekassociates.com
Search Process
Search Timeline
-
August
- Board approval
- Launch
- Discovery planning
-
Late Aug / Sept
- Stakeholder input
- Surveys/town halls
- Profile development
-
Sept / Oct
- Recruitment launch
- National outreach
- Candidate screening
-
October
- Interim Report
- Search Committee review
- Semifinal selection
-
November
- Semifinal interviews
- Finalist forums
- Board interviews
About Yavapai College
Yavapai College Profile
Innovation, Opportunity and Impact in Arizona
For more than 60 years, Yavapai College has been transforming lives and strengthening communities across one of Arizona’s most distinctive regions. Today, the College is entering an exciting new era—one defined by innovation, expanded educational opportunity, state-of-the-art facilities and a growing national reputation for student success.
Serving Yavapai County from seven campuses and centers, Yavapai College offers more than 100 degrees and certificates, six bachelor’s degrees, workforce training, lifelong learning and cultural opportunities. Approximately 40% of the College’s curriculum is available online, extending access to students throughout the region and beyond.
Perhaps nowhere is Yavapai College’s innovative spirit more evident than in its approach to baccalaureate education. After Arizona authorized community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees, Yavapai College became the first rural community college in the state to do so.
The College has continued to push the boundaries of what a community college can provide. In 2025, Yavapai College became the first community college in the nation to offer an optimized three-year bachelor’s degree with the launch of its 92-credit Bachelor of Applied Science in Business. Delivered entirely online, the program was designed to reduce both the time and cost required to earn a bachelor’s degree while preparing students to enter the workforce sooner.
That momentum continues. Yavapai College added a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and, beginning in fall 2026, launched two additional optimized three-year degrees: a Bachelor of Design in Visual Design and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Safety Administration. With those additions, the College now offers six bachelor’s degrees.
The result is a distinctive model of higher education—affordable, flexible and closely connected to the needs of students and employers.
Innovation at Yavapai College is also visible in its facilities. In 2024, the College opened the 11,000-square-foot Center for Learning & Innovation on its Verde Valley Campus in Clarkdale. The state-of-the-art facility brings together library resources, tutoring, immersive learning, adaptive spaces, artificial intelligence-assisted tutoring and interactive learning experiences.
The College has expanded that vision to its Prescott Campus, where the Center for Learning & Innovation includes immersive learning labs, experimental classrooms, capture studios, a digital development studio and the YMAX immersive theater. These facilities demonstrate a commitment to preparing students not simply for today’s jobs, but for a rapidly changing technological future.
Yavapai College is also strengthening the connection between education and economic opportunity. In 2026, the College opened an American Job Center on the Prescott Campus, bringing employment services, career guidance, training referrals and employer connections together in one location. The center creates a direct bridge among students, job seekers, businesses and workforce partners throughout Yavapai County.
Yavapai College’s impact extends well beyond the classroom. Its Career and Technical Education Center provides hands-on education in fields ranging from advanced manufacturing, automation and aviation to construction, welding, automotive technology and engineering. Health sciences and public safety programs prepare nurses, paramedics, firefighters and law enforcement professionals who serve communities throughout Northern Arizona.
The College also serves as a cultural and intellectual hub. The 1,064-seat Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center has become Northern Arizona’s premier entertainment venue, bringing performances, films and educational events to the region while providing students with opportunities to learn and perform in a professional environment. In 2026, the venue was voted the Best Event Venue in the Daily Courier Readers’ Choice Awards.
Yavapai College’s progress has attracted growing national attention. In 2025, the Aspen Institute selected Yavapai College as one of 200 colleges eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, based on student outcomes including retention, completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment.
The College was also named the Pacific Region recipient of the 2025 Association of Community College Trustees Impact & Success Award, recognizing its work expanding educational opportunity and improving outcomes for first-generation and low-income students.
In 2026, Yavapai College was designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, placing the College among institutions recognized for meeting rigorous national standards in cybersecurity education.
The College has also earned recognition as a USA TODAY Top Workplace for three consecutive years in Arizona and for two consecutive years nationally, reflecting a culture of collaboration and commitment to student success.
The clearest measure of Yavapai College’s progress is found in its students. At the 2026 commencement, the College awarded 1,249 degrees and certificates, including a record 119 bachelor’s degrees. Graduates ranged in age from 14 to 74, illustrating the College’s ability to serve students at virtually every stage of life.
Yavapai College stands today as an institution willing to challenge traditional assumptions about what a community college can be. It is expanding bachelor’s education, embracing emerging technologies, investing in modern learning environments, strengthening workforce partnerships and creating new pathways to economic mobility.
Its recent accomplishments provide a strong foundation for the next chapter: a college deeply rooted in its communities, ambitious in its vision and increasingly recognized beyond Arizona for innovation, access and student success.
Our Community
Yavapai County Community Profile
Yavapai County: A Place Where Tradition and Adventure Thrive
Yavapai County is a place where history is not simply preserved—it is lived, celebrated and passed from one generation to the next. Established in 1864 as one of Arizona Territory’s original four counties, Yavapai County once stretched across much of northern and central Arizona and earned the nickname “Mother of Counties.” Today, its communities retain a remarkable sense of identity, from the cowboy heritage of Prescott to the artistic spirit of Sedona and the historic character of Jerome, Clarkdale and Cottonwood.
Prescott, the county seat and Arizona’s first territorial capital, remains deeply connected to its Western roots. Historic Whiskey Row and the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza are gathering places throughout the year, while the World’s Oldest Rodeo® carries on a tradition that began in 1888. Prescott Frontier Days fills the community with rodeo competition, parades, dancing and celebrations each summer. During the holidays, thousands gather for the annual Courthouse Lighting, a tradition dating to the 1950s that has helped earn Prescott its designation as Arizona’s Christmas City. These traditions reflect a community that takes pride in celebrating its past while creating experiences for future generations.
Throughout the Verde Valley, each community adds its own character to the county’s cultural fabric. Sedona is renowned for its spectacular red-rock landscape and has developed a distinctive tradition as a destination for artists, wellness seekers, outdoor enthusiasts and those drawn to its spiritual character. Its galleries, festivals, performing arts and vibrant tourism industry are woven into the identity of a community surrounded by some of Arizona’s most recognizable scenery.
Jerome, perched dramatically on the slopes of Mingus Mountain, preserves the character of its past as a historic copper-mining town. Once known as the “Wickedest Town in the West,” Jerome has transformed its mining heritage into a thriving arts, dining and cultural destination. Historic buildings, galleries, museums and locally owned businesses line its steep streets, creating an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in Arizona.
Nearby, Clarkdale celebrates its industrial and railroad heritage while embracing its role as a gateway to the Verde River and surrounding outdoor recreation. The community’s historic character is complemented by events, local arts and the enduring presence of the Verde Canyon Railroad. Cottonwood, meanwhile, has developed a lively downtown centered on Main Street, where historic buildings now house restaurants, tasting rooms, galleries and locally owned businesses. Its growing wine industry has become an important part of the Verde Valley’s identity, with vineyards, tasting rooms and annual celebrations bringing residents and visitors together.
Beyond its communities and traditions, Yavapai County is defined by extraordinary natural beauty. The landscape ranges from the ponderosa pine forests and granite formations surrounding Prescott to Sedona’s iconic red rocks, the Verde River, high-desert mesas and the rugged Bradshaw and Mingus mountains. Residents enjoy hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, fishing, camping, horseback riding, climbing and off-road adventures throughout the year.
What makes Yavapai County exceptional is this remarkable combination of history, tradition, community and natural beauty. A visitor can attend the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, explore the galleries of Jerome, enjoy a wine tasting in Cottonwood, ride the Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale or hike among the red rocks of Sedona—all within the same county.
Yavapai County honors where it came from while embracing where it is going. Its enduring traditions, independent communities and spectacular landscapes create a quality of life that is distinctly Arizona—and distinctly Yavapai County.
Participate
Upcoming Events
Public forums, listening sessions, candidate visits, and other presidential search events will be posted here.
Date To Be Announced
Presidential Search Event
Event details, location, time, participation information, and related links will appear here.
Presidential Search
Frequently Asked Questions
The Search Committee assists in identifying and encouraging prospective candidates and participates in the evaluation and interview process. The Committee will review candidates presented by the search consultant, interview selected candidates and recommend final candidates to the Yavapai College Governing Board for consideration.
The Search Committee includes individuals representing constituencies throughout Yavapai College and the communities it serves, including representation from the Verde Valley and community partners. Every possible effort has been made to make sure that the committee accurately reflects the college community at large.
Yes. Yavapai College has retained Cizek Associates, Inc. (CAI) to assist the College and Search Committee in conducting a comprehensive national search for its next President.
The college is using a search firm for a number of reasons including assistance in identifying and proactively recruiting talented candidates for the President position – especially those candidates who are not currently looking for a new position. CAI will also assist the College and Search Committee with candidate evaluation, search administration, recruitment strategy and comprehensive due diligence throughout the search process. All inquiries regarding this search are to be directed to the search firm whose responsibility it is to identify and attract the best possible candidates for the position, respond to all nominations and advertising inquiries, screen and evaluate backgrounds and credentials guided by the position profile, and make recommendations to the Search Committee and the college regarding those candidates best qualified for the President position.
Yavapai College and Cizek Associates are committed to conducting a comprehensive national search designed to reach an exceptional and broadly representative pool of prospective Candidates. Recruitment will include extensive direct sourcing and outreach, professional networks, nominations and referrals, and targeted national recruitment.
Application instructions are included in the Presidential Position Profile. Priority Consideration Date: October 11, 2026 The position will remain open until filled; however, applications received by the Priority Consideration Date will be assured full consideration.
Nominations, recommendations and referrals are welcomed and encouraged. Individuals may submit the name and contact information of a prospective candidate to Cizek Associates ycpresident@cizekassociates.com. CAI will contact the individual directly to discuss the opportunity and assess potential interest. Nominations and referrals will be treated with the level of confidentiality requested by the individual making the nomination.
The Presidential Search webpage will serve as the primary source for public updates regarding the search. Because candidate confidentiality is important to attracting the strongest possible national candidate pool, Search Committee members will maintain appropriate confidentiality regarding candidates and committee deliberations throughout the search and its members will not be able to share with you details of their meetings and discussions, but will respectfully refer you to this website.