At the Jan. 18 Board of Trustees meeting, it was announced that EvCC’s new interim president would be Dr. Darrell Cain.

Since Dr. Daria Willis left EvCC to join the Howard Community College team, our staff have been frantically trying to fill her shoes. They started by hiring an acting president on Jan. 1 and have since then been going through the interview process to find our next leader.

When they first opened the door for applicants 32 applications were submitted. From that, 12 were worth looking into and only three were finalists. Of those three, the name Darrell Cain was spoken of the most.

Before the announcement was made, many kind and encouraging words were spoken, regarding Dr. Cain. “I believe we have an outstanding candidate as an interim and possibly a permanent president,” Board of Trustees member Bob Bolerjack said. What stood out to most of the trustees were his personal story, his partnership with businesses and the community, the experience that he brings and that he always teaches a class at least once a year. He explains it as a way to keep him grounded within the college.

A few other perks that he brings to the table is that, “He is a product of community college, has a lot of experience working with diverse populations and he is involved with very successful fundraising,” Board of Trustees member Betty Cobbs said.

Dr. Caine will be coming from Pierce College Puyallup which is where he served as their president for three and a half years. For the past 15 years of his life he has been working in leadership roles throughout community colleges all around our country. “We knew we wanted someone with experience,” Bolerjack said during the meeting.

Dr. Caine is so qualified that Board of Trustees member, Jerry Martin who was an interviewer when Dr. Daria Willis was hired, said, “Cain would have been one of the finalists back when Dr. Willis was being hired. He is a great candidate.” Though it is uncertain when a permanent president will be hired on, Dr. Caine may be filling those shoes. As Martin says, “He’s great, not only for the school but also for the community.”

Our current acting president, Joseph Whalen, will continue in his role while the details of Dr. Caine’s contract gets finalized. Once the negotiations are completed, Caine will immediately step into his new role.