Watson chosen as college’s next president

Posted 3/10/22

The Northwest College Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Wednesday to retain Lisa Watson as president of the college. Watson has been serving as interim president since November 2020 since the …

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Watson chosen as college’s next president

Posted

The Northwest College Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Wednesday to retain Lisa Watson as president of the college. Watson has been serving as interim president since November 2020 since the previous president, Stefani Hicswa, resigned to pursue a position at the University of Montana-Billings.

Watson was one of two finalists for the position. Michelle Schutt, who is currently vice president of community and learner services at College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, had an on-campus visit last month as part of the selection process. 

With the exception of the vote to retain Watson, much of Wednesday’s nearly four-hour board meeting was held in executive session. The motion included granting Board President Mark Wurzel the authority to negotiate a contract with Watson, within guidelines set in the closed portion of the meeting.

Watson had previously worked under Hicswa at Miles Community College in Miles City, Montana, and served as interim president there when Hicswa left for NWC. Watson was hired at NWC in 2014 as the vice president of administrative services and finance. 

She holds an MBA with a specialization in international business from the University of Miami and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She’s currently working toward her doctorate in higher learning administration from the University of Wyoming. 

Watson agreed to serve as acting president for one year while a search was conducted for a permanent president. The search was originally expected to be completed by summer 2021. However, with a number of challenges facing the college — including the uncertainties of the pandemic and budgetary challenges — the board delayed the search and voted to extend Watson’s contract through June 2022. 

After Wednesday’s vote, Trustee Tara Kuipers expressed gratitude to NWC’s presidential search committee, which helped the board narrow candidates down to the two finalists, for all their work over the past few months.

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