Waubonsee Community College board selects Brian Knetl as college's fifth president
Waubonsee Community College board has selected Brian Knetl to serve as the college's fifth president.
The board will appoint Knetl at its Dec. 14 meeting. The college's current president, Christine J. Sobek, is retiring on Jan. 4, after more than 21 years in the role.
Knetl currently serves as provost and executive vice president of academic and student affairs at Grand Rapids Community College. In 2018-19, he completed the Aspen Presidential Fellowship Program for Community College Excellence.
His experience in community college administration began as an assistant dean at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, after which he spent 10 years at Harper College in Palatine, where he served as interim provost, associate provost, dean of liberal arts and founding associate dean of the Center for Adjunct Faculty Engagement.
Before transitioning into administration, Knetl was a full-time faculty member in the theater department at St. Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota.
He holds a bachelor's degree in theatre from St. Mary's University, a master's degree in theatre from Texas State University and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Loyola University-Chicago.
Waubonsee's presidential search committee included representatives from all full-time employee groups, students, the community, and the board of trustees.
After the search committee helped identify three finalists, the board conducted on-campus interviews, which included open forums.