Trustees name three finalists for president of Edmonds Community College

After a national search, Edmonds Community College’s Board of Trustees has selected three finalists, all with extensive higher education experience, for the position of Edmonds Community College president.

On Jan. 25, the Board of Trustees voted in a public meeting to approve Dr. Ata Karim, Dr. Amit Singh, and Dr. Chris Reber as presidential finalists. Each has been invited to campus on separate days for a campus tour and open forums to meet with students, employees, and community members. Open forums will be held in the college’s Black Box Theatre, 20310 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood.

(from left to right) Presidential finalists: Dr. Ata Karim, Dr. Amit Singh, and Dr. Chris Reber

Presidential forums:

• Tuesday, Feb. 20 | Dr. Ata Karim
  5-6 p.m. - Open forum for community members and all campus
• Thursday, Feb. 22 | Dr. Amit Singh
  5-6 p.m. - Open forum for community members and all campus
• Friday, Feb. 23 | Dr. Chris Reber
  2:15-3:15 p.m. - Open forum for community members and all campus

Edmonds CC’s presidential search began in October after Dr. Jean Hernandez, the college’s president of seven years, announced that she would retire at the end of 2017. A 18-member presidential search committee, which included employees, college trustees, and community members, screened the applicants.

The new president is expected to begin work no later than July 1.

About the finalists: 

Dr. Ata Karim is the vice president of student affairs at Bellevue College, a position he’s held for more than four years. Earlier in his career, he served as interim vice president of student †services at Bellevue College and as its director of multicultural services from more than four years. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Kansas State University and Edmonds CC. Karim earned a doctorate in counseling psychology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; a master’s in industrial/organizational psychology from California State University, Long Beach; and a master’s and bachelor’s in psychology from University of Karachi, Pakistan.

Dr. Amit Singh currently serves as the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, a position he’s held since 2014, at Clark State Community College in Springfield, Ohio. Singh joined Clark State from Cuyahoga Community College’s western campus – the largest institution of the four-campus district – in Parma, Ohio where he was dean of academic affairs and chief academic officer. Earlier in his career, he served as the dean of the business and computer science division at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa. and as the assistant dean of the business and social science division at Darton College in Albany, Ga. Singh holds four graduate degrees – a doctorate in economics from Ranchi University, India; a master’s in finance from Georgia State University; a master’s of business administration from Salisbury University, Maryland; and a master’s and bachelor’s in economics from Patna University, India. 

Dr. Chris Reber is currently president of Community College of Beaver County near Pittsburgh, Pa., a position he’s held since 2014. Previously, Reber served for 12 years as the executive dean of Venango College, one of three colleges of Clarion University in Pennsylvania. He also  served at The Pennsylvania State University at Erie, The Behrend College for 15 years as dean of student affairs and affiliate assistant professor of education and later as associate provost for advancement and university relations. He holds a postdoctoral management development program certificate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a doctorate in education from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s in college student personnel administration from Bowling Green State University, Ohio; and a bachelor’s in Latin from Dickinson College, Pennsylvania.

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