NORTH CHARLESTON — Trident Technical College narrowed its presidential search to four finalists who will be visiting campus for final interviews starting April 1.
The finalists include three sitting presidents of two-year colleges and one chief of staff of a four-year college. Three are South Carolinians, one hails from Ohio. All finalists have a master’s degree; three of them have earned doctorates in education.
Common to all is a knowledge of higher education, said Anita Zucker, chairperson of the search committee and the college’s Area Commission.
“They each bring different qualities and characteristics to the table,” Zucker said. “We’ll see how this shakes out when we meet with them in April.”
The search committee, which is comprised of members of the college’s Area Commission and various technical college leaders and experts, has reviewed nearly 70 applications during the search process and interviewed seven semifinalists in mid-March.
The committee selected four finalists : Forest Mahan, Paul Patrick, Walt Tobin and Vicky Wood.
Mahan
Mahan is currently the president of Aiken Technical College, working in this role since 2016. He has spent nearly 30 years in the South Carolina Technical College System, starting as a history instructor at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College in 1996 and later becoming vice president for academic affairs at Northeastern Technical College in Cheraw in 2008.
Mahan received a bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston, then a master’s degree in history and doctorate in higher educational administration from the University of South Carolina.
Patrick
Patrick has worked as the chief of staff and executive vice president for President Andrew Hsu at the College of Charleston since 2019. Prior to this role, Patrick was the chief financial officer and executive vice president for business affairs, managing the institution’s $300 million annual operating budget.
Before his start in higher education, Patrick spent eight years as the director of state budget and finance for the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Patrick received a bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Tobin is the president of Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, working in this role since 2011. With more than two decades of experience in higher education, Tobin began his tenure at Orangeburg–Calhoun Technical College as vice president for academic affairs and later served as interim president of Denmark Technical College, a historically Black two-year college in Bamberg County.
Tobin
Tobin earned a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and master’s and doctoral degrees in education administration from the University of South Carolina. His post-doctoral work was at the Harvard Institute for Educational Management.
Wood is the president of Washington State College of Ohio, a two-year college in Marietta. With over 30 years of higher education experience, she has worked in this role for seven years. Before, she worked as provost and vice president of academic affairs and student services at Marion Technical College in Ohio.
Wood is a first-generation community college graduate. She holds a doctorate in higher education leadership from The University of Toledo, a master’s in education from Bowling Green State University, a bachelor’s degree from Ashland University and an associate’s degree from Marion Technical College.
Wood
After the four finalists complete in-person interviews the first week of April, the Area Commission will make its decision and begin negotiations with the finalist.
The college expects to announce the next president in May.
The search for the two-year college’s next leader began after Mary Thornley announced her retirement in September 2023. In charge for 30 years, she is the longest-serving president in the school’s history. She has worked for the college for nearly 50 years total, starting as an adjunct professor and rising through the ranks.
Under Thornley’s leadership, the college has experienced significant growth. It is now the third-largest college in undergraduate enrollment in the state. The campus has more than doubled in size, and the technical college has expanded its program offerings into growing industries, such as manufacturing and aeronautical studies.
