Williams resigns as EICC chancellor

Sonya J. Williams has resigned her job as chancellor of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. The resignation was made official Tuesday night, Aug. 1, during a special meeting of the EICC Board of Trustees. The board unanimously accepted the resignation in a meeting that lasted about five minutes at the Scott Community College Urban Campus. During […]

Sonya J. Williams has resigned her job as chancellor of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. The resignation was made official Tuesday night, Aug. 1, during a special meeting of the EICC Board of Trustees. The board unanimously accepted the resignation in a meeting that lasted about five minutes at the Scott Community College Urban Campus.

During that meeting, the board named Naomi DeWinter, Muscatine Community College president and vice chancellor for student development, as temporary acting chancellor of EICC, effective immediately. Ms. Williams, who was EICC chancellor for about a year, resigned because of “personal reasons,” according to information from EICC. Johnna Kerres, associate director of marketing and communications, told the QCBJ on Wednesday, Aug. 2, that she does not know the specific reasons for Ms. Williams’ resignation, but the college community wishes her well. “We respect her right to privacy during this transition,” Ms. Kerres added. EICC Board of Trustees member Tyla Sherwin-Cole added she also wants to respect Ms. Williams’ privacy on the matter. “As a college, we have much to look forward to, such as the start of the semester and the completion of our new Health Sciences wing at SCC (Scott Community College) and the new Career Advancement Center in DeWitt. Through our new facilities, we are bringing programs into communities that have never had them before and expanding career and technical education opportunities for our high school students. This is an exciting time for the college, and we have great people in place who will continue to deliver on our mission,” Ms. Sherwin-Cole said in an email to the QCBJ.  The QCBJ was unable to contact Ms. Williams on Wednesday. A statement from EICC on the chancellor's resignation can be found here. “We acknowledge the contributions she has made during her short tenure,” said EICC Board President Bob Gallagher in a news release. “We thank Dr. Williams for her service and wish her the best on her future endeavors.” When contacted Wednesday by the QCBJ, several board members directed questions and comments on the situation to EICC marketing and communications officials. Ms. Williams began the job as chancellor on Aug. 8, 2022, with the philosophy “you have to think about other people,” she told the QCBJ last year. She was appointed EICC’s eighth chancellor in June of 2022 after an extensive national search.  “We have to take care of people. … The goal is to make sure we take care of the human capital,” Ms. Williams said in an earlier interview. She replaced Don Doucette, who retired last summer after leading EICC as chancellor for 11 years. Before taking the EICC job, Ms. Williams was vice president of education and chief academic officer at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois. In the coming months, the EICC Board of Trustees will select an interim chancellor. The board will evaluate and assess potential candidates before finalizing the appointment. Following the appointment of an interim, the board will start the work of picking the next permanent chancellor, according to information from EICC. Timelines and deadlines for that work have yet to be established. “Our priority is to ensure a smooth and efficient transition while maintaining the college's commitment to academic excellence and student welfare,” Ms. Kerres said Wednesday morning. In the meantime, Ms. DeWinter will lead EICC as temporary acting chancellor.

“Dr. DeWinter has the right mix of skills and experience to lead the organization forward. We look forward to a seamless transition of leadership,” Mr. Gallagher said. The QCBJ was unable to reach Ms. DeWinter for comment Wednesday. Ms. DeWinter has been with EICC since 2015. During her tenure, she helped in enhancing student support services across the district, and a strong advocate for increasing access to underserved populations and closing equity gaps. Before joining EICC, Ms. DeWinter worked as the vice president of Student Affairs at North Central Michigan College in Petoskey, Michigan, where she oversaw various student support services, according to information from EICC. “Changing lives and building communities is the heart of our mission, and our commitment to students remains steadfast,” said Ms. DeWinter in a prepared statement from EICC. “I look forward to continuing to work with our dedicated faculty and staff to deliver high-quality education and training that prepares a skilled workforce and provides equitable access to higher education.” EICC’s fall semester begins on Monday, Aug. 21.