Piedmont Technical College Announces Finalists in Presidential Search
November 10, 2020
After a national search, the Piedmont Technical College (PTC) Area Commission has narrowed the field to its top three finalists for the position of president.
PTC officials began their search this summer after Dr. L. Ray Brooks ― the college’s president for the past 13 years ― announced plans to retire at the end of the year.
The final candidates to succeed Dr. Brooks are: Dr. Carey Castle, Dr. Hope Rivers, and Dr. Scott Stallman.
Dr. Carey Castle currently serves as president of Somerset Community College in Somerset, KY. An Air Force veteran, he achieved the branch’s highest enlisted rank, Chief Master Sergeant, leading deployments in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Allied Force and numerous other global assignments.
Before taking the helm at Somerset, Dr. Castle served in multiple administrative roles at Greenville Technical College and Northland Community & Technical College in Thief River Falls, MN.
Dr. Hope Rivers is a familiar face to many in SC higher education, as she is the current executive vice president of the SC Technical College System. In that role, she serves as chief advisor on educational programs, internal and external relations, and System advocacy. Last year, she was part of the System team that developed the state’s new $17 million Workforce Industry Needs Scholarship (SC WINS).
During her time with the System, Dr. Rivers engineered statewide transfer and articulation agreements with numerous colleges and universities. She is a Riley Fellow and graduate of LeadershipSC. In 2019, she received the SC Woman on the Move Award from the SC American Association in Community Colleges.
Dr. Scott Stallman most recently served as vice president of instruction and chief academic officer at Lone Star College-Tomball near Houston, TX. His leadership there improved student success and enrollment significantly. His achievements at Lone Star include the establishment of the first Early College High School in Tomball, a High School Nursing Academy, an associate degree designed for students with autism and an aggressive health sciences expansion plan.
Dr. Stallman’s experience includes numerous higher education leadership roles at esteemed institutions in Missouri and Illinois. He is a 2019-2020 Aspen Presidential Fellow, one of 40 chosen to participate in an executive leadership program designed to develop solutions for some of the largest challenges facing community and technical colleges.
The PTC Area Commission will hold interviews with each candidate the week of Nov. 9.
