Bryan Renfro, left, the next chancellor for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, shares a laugh with Robert Gallagher, chairman of the EICC Board of Trustees; and Michelle Garvin, a board member and search committee chair, after a special board meeting Tuesday, April 1, to announce the new chancellor. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Bryan Renfro will be the next chancellor at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. Mr. Renfro, who is currently president of John Wood Community College in Quincy, Illinois, was approved as the new college district leader during the EICC Board of Trustees’s brief special meeting Tuesday morning, April 1. His selection was announced to EICC staff and […]
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Bryan Renfro will be the next chancellor at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges.Mr. Renfro, who is currently president of John Wood Community College in Quincy, Illinois, was approved as the new college district leader during the EICC Board of Trustees’s brief special meeting Tuesday morning, April 1. His selection was announced to EICC staff and local media gathered at Scott Community College Urban Campus, 101 W. Third St., Davenport.
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Bryan Renfro, right, the next chancellor for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, listens to comments made during an EICC Board of Trustees special meeting Tuesday morning, April 1, at Scott Community College’s Urban Campus in downtown Davenport. He is sitting next to his son, Blake, and wife, Jennifer. Liang Chee Wee, interim chancellor, is at the right. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Bryan Renfro, the next chancellor for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, gives a few comments on Tuesday, April 1, after the college district announced his hiring. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Bryan Renfro, the next chancellor for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, gives a few comments on Tuesday, April 1, after the college district announced his hiring. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Michelle Garvin, the search committee’s chair and an EICC Board of Trustees member, makes a statement on Tuesday.
The board approved Mr. Renfro’s appointment as the new chancellor on a unanimous voice vote.“The more we work together, the stronger we’ll be. … I look forward to working beside all of you,” Mr. Renfro said at a brief news conference held after the board meeting. More than 50 people – most from the EICC community – attended the Tuesday events.Mr. Renfro added: “Throughout my career, as a faculty member and administrator, I’ve been guided by a student-first philosophy. I will continue this approach in a collaborative spirit, with a strategic focus, and with the utmost respect for the transformative power of the community college to change lives.”The new chancellor is expected to take over the EICC leadership role on July 1. (The chancellor position has been open since Sonya J. Williams resigned from the job on Aug. 1, 2023. Liang Chee Wee was named the interim chancellor later that year and still holds that position. Mr. Wee took the temporary position after retiring from North Iowa Area Community College in 2022, where he had served as president.)Mr. Renfro’s contract has not been finalized yet, but it will likely be for a term of three years, Robert Gallagher, chairman of the EICC Board of Trustees, told the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal.Information on the new chancellor’s salary was not available Tuesday.Board members said they are pleased with the selection of Mr. Renfro, and look forward to working with him.“This is a great day for us. … We have found the right leader for the future,” said Michelle Garvin, the search committee’s chair and an EICC Board of Trustees member.“I’m confident his leadership experience, commitment to community engagement, and passion for student success make him the ideal person to build on our strong foundation,” she added.Ms. Garvin also used Tuesday's events to praise Mr. Wee. She said the interim chancellor has been a great leader at EICC and he will be missed by the college community when he leaves the position this summer.Mr. Renfro, who said he has worked with Mr. Wee in the past, also thanked him for his “kind heart and wisdom.”The newly appointed EICC chancellor has been president of John Wood Community College (JWCC) since Jan. 4, 2023. During his time there, he advanced national initiatives such as Guided Pathways, Caring Campus and the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education. JWCC’s enrollment and retention figures have increased under Mr. Renfro, according to information from the college.“The JWCC Board of Trustees is extremely grateful for Dr. Renfro’s service,” Bob Rhea, chair of JWCC’s Board of Trustees, said in a news release Tuesday. “His visionary leadership has positioned the college for continued success and raised the institution’s status both regionally and nationally. JWCC has benefitted from his energy, passion and experience. We absolutely wish him the best in this new endeavor.”Mr. Renfro’s career spans multiple institutions and roles, including vice president of academic instruction at Paris Junior College in Texas; associate vice provost of academic and workforce affairs at Tyler Junior College in Texas; and dean of business and public services at Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, Iowa. His experience also includes roles in academic and technical training, including in areas of public safety training, institutional effectiveness, and workforce development. Throughout his career, he has continued teaching anthropology and criminal justice courses. EICC officials named three finalists for the chancellor position earlier this year. The other finalists were: Naomi DeWinter, Muscatine Community College president and EICC vice chancellor of student development; and Jennifer Berne, provost, Oakland Community College, Oakland County, Michigan.Mr. Renfro said he is looking forward to helping transform lives through education in his new job.“It’s more than an education. It’s an opportunity to fulfill their hopes and dreams. … Everyday we change lives,” Mr. Renfro said.
