CCCS launches nationwide search, names advisory committee for Trinidad State College president

The Colorado Community College System has launched a national search for the next president of Trinidad State College, naming a representative advisory committee and opening stakeholder input as the college prepares for a leadership transition that will affect students, workforce programs, and local employers.

CCCS said the search will be “thorough and inclusive” and is intended “to identify the best leader for TSC from a deep and diverse pool of candidates.” Christina Cecil, CCCS chief human resources officer, will assist the advisory committee. The committee listed on the college’s presidential-search webpage includes Yvette Atencio, Director of Human Resources, TSC; Desi Maxwell, Faculty, TSC; Linda Perry, Executive Assistant to President, TSC; Mathilda Westerman, Student Services Specialist, TSC; Lindsay Haras, Student, TSC; Karl Gabrielson, TSC Community Representative; Dr. Landon Mascareñaz, SBCCOE Board Member; Dr. Kimberly Zant, President, Otero College; and Dr. Sarah Heath, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, CCCS.

With recruitment set to “begin immediately,” CCCS and Trinidad State officials say candidate review, interviews and assessments will take place in early 2026. The strongest candidates will be invited to meet with larger campus constituencies, with Trinidad State saying those meetings will occur in “late spring” and a contemporaneous news report specifying “late March or April.” The Chancellor’s expectation is “to announce the next TSC President late April or early May.”

The search webpage is collecting stakeholder input through conversations and a campus survey. “With the information gleaned from stakeholder conversations and shared through the above survey a position profile will be created to serve as a guiding document during the recruitment and assessment process.” Several search pages remain marked “Coming soon,” including the President Search Timeline Page and the President Position Profile, and a FAQ section is posted without full content. An open public meeting for the search was scheduled for Friday, January 30, 10:00–11:00 a.m., with details and links available on the college’s presidential-search webpage.

The search follows the announced transition of current president Dr. Rhonda Epper. Dr. Epper, who became Trinidad State College president in 2019 and previously held roles at the Community College of Denver, the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, was named sole finalist for the Colorado State University–Pueblo presidency in December 2025. A news report states Dr. Epper “will depart TSC at the end of March to assume the presidency at Colorado State University Pueblo.” Dr. Epper said she is “grateful for this opportunity to continue to support the educational and workforce needs of Southern Colorado.” Both Trinidad State and CSU–Pueblo are federally designated Hispanic Serving Institutions, and under Epper Trinidad State was named a semi-finalist for the 2025 Aspen Prize for community college excellence.

For Las Animas County, the search will determine leadership for programs tied to local employers, workforce training pipelines and student supports. Community representatives such as Karl Gabrielson and student members like Lindsay Haras sit on the advisory committee, giving local voices a formal role in shaping the position profile. Expect the college to publish the full timeline and position profile soon; attend the January 30 meeting or check the Trinidad State presidential-search webpage to weigh in and monitor finalist visits and the Chancellor’s late April or early May announcement.