Rock Valley College has announced four finalists in the search for its next president. On campus interviews, including forums open to the public, will be conducted during the last two weeks in March. 

Specific dates for each candidate will be published in advance; additional information regarding the finalists can be located at rockvalleycollege.edu/finalists.

Elizabeth Burmaster—Burmaster currently serves as President of Nicolet College in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Ms. Burmaster began her tenure at Nicolet College in 2009 after serving eight years as Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction. In that role she had oversight over all public K-12 school districts in the state and served as a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System Board, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, the Educational Communications Board, and the Governor’s Council on Workforce Investment.

Burmaster has 34 years of experience in education, including extensive experience as a K-12 teacher and principal at every level – elementary, middle, and for nearly a decade as the principal of Madison West High School.

John Hogan—Hogan currently serves as the Chancellor for the Columbus/Franklin Region of the Ivy Tech Community College system in Indiana, working directly with a seven-member regional board. Dr. Hogan has been with the system since 1988, holding a variety of positions in student services and academic affairs. The Columbus/Franklin Region employs 140 full-time faculty and staff and serves over 10,000 credit and workforce students in a six-county area.

Dr. Hogan has over 25 years of professional and administrative experience, primarily in community colleges, including the past 14 years as a chief campus executive. In this role, he has developed partnerships with four-year and K-12 institutions and founded new instructional locations throughout the service area.

Michael Mastroianni—Mastroianni currently serves as the Interim President of Rock Valley College. Having begun his tenure with the College in 1998, Mr. Mastroianni has served as an adjunct instructor, director of the Management Institute (now Business and Professional Institute), Dean, Associate Vice President, and most recently Vice President of Career and Technical Education and Outreach. His prior experience includes executive positions in professional development and human resources with Rockford Health Systems, OSF/Saint Anthony Medical Center, and Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, as well as his own consulting firm.

A lifelong resident of Rockford, Mastroianni also serves on a variety of boards, including Family Counseling Services, Manufacturing Advisory Council, Rockford Chamber of Commerce, Rockford Arts Council, and Rockford Health Council, among others.

Laura Urban—Laura Urban has served as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Gateway Community and Technical College in Florence, Kentucky since 2010. Gateway Community and Technical College is a multi-campus comprehensive two-year college serving approximately 5,000 credit and 2,500 non-credit students each semester. As Chief Academic Officer and member of the President’s Cabinet, Dr. Urban provides leadership in the assessment of student learning, and provides oversight for Academic Affairs, Library and Information Services, Early College Initiatives, and various grants, as well as leading the development of articulation agreements with four-year institutions.

With 20 years of experience in higher education at several institutions, Dr. Urban has also been responsible for areas such as a Small Business Development Center, as well as Academic Affairs providing oversight of program and curriculum for transfer degrees.

–News Bulletin news sources