The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Walla Walla-The Walla Walla Community College Board of Trustees Chair Tim Burt announced last week that Acting President Dr. Chad Hickox has been named the permanent President of the College effective May 20, 2020.

"In this rapidly changing environment, Dr. Hickox has proven he is a trusted leader who is well-qualified and ready to lead through these unprecedented times," said Board Chair Tim Burt. "The Board heard from members of the faculty, staff, and students, as well as members of the communities the College serves, who supported the selection of Dr. Hickox and asked that the Trustees consider his immediate appointment rather than engage in a lengthy, costly search process."

Hickox's professional experience in higher education spans 24 years and numerous roles with several colleges across the country.

"I am honored and eager to continue this important work and believe I have the right strategic vision and collaborative colleagues across the institution to lead this outstanding community college into a bright future," said Dr. Hickox

Hickox has served as Walla Walla Community College Acting President since March of 2020. He came to WWCC in February of 2018 as the Vice President of Instruction following an extensive interview process that included two full days of interviews in Walla Walla and Clarkston with a search committee of 24 members drawn from all areas of the College. Since that time, he also has served as the Executive Vice President/Provost from July of 2019 until March of this year.

Prior to coming to Walla Walla, Hickox served as the Chief Academic Officer at a rural community college in Helena, Montana from 2015 to 2018. He served as the Accreditation Liaison Officer to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and gained valuable experience from 2008 to 2015 when he held a number of increasingly progressive leadership roles at South Seattle College, where he served as the Associate Dean of Academic Programs and both Interim and permanent Dean of Academic Programs before being named Chief Strategy and Chief Data Officer. In these roles, he participated with a number of national higher education coalitions, including collaboratively securing grants from the National Science Foundation that focused on promoting women, students of color, socio-economically disadvantaged,

Hickox lives in Walla Walla with his wife and two sons.