SFCC president stepping down to lead college in Virginia

Janet Gullickson is stepping down as president of Spokane Falls Community College to lead a college in Virginia.

Darren Pitcher, SFCC’s vice president for learning and student services, will serve as acting president for one year while the college conducts a nationwide search for a permanent successor.

Gullickson has been SFCC’s president since 2012 and previously served as chief academic officer for Community Colleges of Spokane. Her last day with the school will be June 30. She will become president of Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

In a news release, CCS Chancellor Christine Johnson said Gullickson “has been dedicated to providing students with a high quality education and pursuing changes that have improved enrollment and graduation rates.”

Pitcher led SFCC’s Achieving the Dream initiative and overhauled how the college manages enrollment. He previously worked for 13 years in leadership roles at Miles Community College in Montana, where he earned his associate degree.

Pitcher also holds a bachelor’s degree from Montana State University- Billings, and master’s and doctoral degrees from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California.

“I am tremendously honored to be chosen as acting president and look forward to supporting the work of our faculty, staff and students here at Spokane Falls Community College,” Pitcher said in the news release.

Pitcher has appointed Chrissy Davis Jones, SFCC’s dean of student support services, to replace him as acting vice president of student services.

The news release said Davis Jones has earned national recognition for her research on academic advising. She’s also an instructor for an online tutorial program in partnership with Kansas State University, and an adjunct faculty member for the graduate studies program at Whitworth University’s College of Education.