KCC Board of Trustees appoints Dr. Paul Watson II as Interim President

KCC's Interim President Dr. Paul Watson.

The Kellogg Community College Board of Trustees on April 20, 2022, appointed Dr. Paul Watson II as Interim President of KCC.

The appointment of Watson, who has been KCC’s Vice President for Instruction since 2019, was effective immediately.

“Dr. Watson has provided strong leadership to the instructional side of KCC during his employment. The Board looks forward to working with him to exceed the commitment we have made to our staff, students and community,” said Board Chair Steve Claywell. “We are excited to write the next chapter at KCC and uphold our commitment to excellence on behalf of the premier educational institution that we are. We are Bruins.”

Regarding his appointment, Watson said he is humbled by the opportunity.

“I am excited to lead KCC at a pivotal time in higher education and look forward to working with all constituents: our board, faculty, administrators, staff, community members and students to ensure that we continue to thrive and uphold our legacy as an exceptional institution of higher education,” Watson said. “I look forward to our continued partnership towards the betterment of our students and community.”

Prior to KCC, Watson had 20 years of teaching experience at the secondary and post-secondary levels and seven years of experience as an administrative leader in higher education. He was at Pennsylvania College of Technology from 2011 to 2019 as a director, assistant dean and dean. Prior to that, he was a high school math teacher in Jefferson, New York, and an assistant professor of mathematics at Houghton College in Houghton, New York.

Watson succeeds Dr. Adrien Bennings, who had been President of KCC since 2020 and who recently announced she has accepted a position as president of Portland Community College in Portland, Oregon.

“We would like to thank Dr. Bennings for her leadership and service at KCC over the past two years and we wish her the best,” Claywell said.

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