The Search for SCC Vice President of Academic Affairs

Dr. Kris Roney brings with her a faculty and administrative career focused on developing access and opportunities for students at the campuses she has served. She is a fierce advocate for students, who believes that success is in students reaching their goals, even when they don’t look quite like ours. Dr. Roney is currently the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, where she is responsible for the academic portfolio, including degree programming, planning, support, and budget. She previously served as Associate Vice President for Academic Programs and Founding Dean of University College and Graduate Studies at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). There, she led the University’s response to the CSU Graduation Initiative, the efforts behind which helped push the University’s graduations rates up dramatically.

Prior to joining CSUMB, Dr. Roney served in a similar capacity at the University of North Georgia, where, in her capacity as Associate Vice President and Founding Dean of University College, she was responsible for academic support for all undergraduate students across four campuses, all associate-degree seeking students, and space management, among other diverse responsibilities, including those of an active English faculty member. Prior to the consolidation that created UNG, she served in several administrative and faculty roles for Gainesville State College. She earned a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Georgia and a B.A. in English from Norfolk State University.

Across her career, she has put considerable focus on student and faculty success as the PI and co-PI for more than $8 million in grants in support of student success and faculty development through the NSF, the Department of Education, and private funders. She is passionate about developing diverse leaders throughout her campus communities, and she seeks to continue the educational vision instilled during her own undergraduate experience: hold the doors open and encourage everyone, especially anyone who thinks they might not belong.

Dr. Eddie Lamperez serves as Scottsdale Community College’s (SCC) Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs. Prior to his current role, Dr. Lamperez served as SCC’s Director of Institutional Strategies starting in 2017 and then as a Dean of Instruction starting in 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, and a Master of Arts in Political Science, each from the University of New Orleans. Additionally, he earned his Doctor of Education with an emphasis in Educational Leadership and Policy from Northern Arizona University.

Professionally, Dr. Lamperez brings experience spanning two decades in higher education and government. Notably, Dr. Lamperez possesses experience in community college assessment, accreditation, budgeting, program development and evaluation, community partnerships, strategic planning, and institutional research. His experience includes teaching at the secondary and post-secondary level in Arizona and Louisiana. Dr. Lamperez’s career also includes experience in municipal government serving as an urban planner and economic development analyst. 

Dr. Lamperez is a champion of shared governance and academic freedom. He brings an evidence-driven, strategic approach to face SCC’s post-pandemic challenges. Dr. Lamperez is committed to empowering individuals to think creatively and supports the development of educational and organizational innovations. He is dedicated to working closely with faculty and other administrators to address the needs of SCC’s students and faculty. Dr. Lamperez is a standout advocate for the power of community colleges to improve students’ lives and to promote social mobility.

As a first-generation college student who started at a community college herself, Dr. Stephanie Polliard marvels at the full-circle path that has brought her back to the community college as an educator and administrator. After graduating from Grand Canyon University with a BA in English, Dr. Polliard spent 15 years teaching English to high school students in inner-city Phoenix. With family as a priority, she took time off from a full-time career and started to adjunct at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) until she became residential English faculty in 2012. Later, as the English division chair and Maricopa lead for developmental education transformation, she influenced positive change through multiple measures for placement and curriculum redesign, promoted and provided professional development as the faculty developer and PAR facilitator, and advocated for a culture of reflection around college assessment practices. In 2019, Dr. Polliard was chosen as the Interim Dean of Instruction as a Faculty Administrator at PVCC and then applied to GateWay Community College and was selected as their Interim Vice-President of Academic Affairs in 2021. In these two roles, she has fostered conditions for equity in access and integrated student support through the transformation and implementation work around Guided Pathways.

Through shared governance, she guided the development of an academic plan aligned to college strategic priorities to support both workforce and transfer students’ paths to success. Dr. Polliard believes in collaboration across the college and system, and through this collaboration, particularly with Student Affairs, developed successful foundations for FYE and has championed student success initiatives that advocate for a student ready paradigm. As faculty herself, Dr. Polliard believes in practices that promote high quality instruction with student engagement within the bounds of academic freedom. To that end, she believes that data-informed reflection should guide all areas that touch the student experience to ensure student retention and success, which is coupled with the notion that enrollment and retention is a full college team effort.

Dr. Polliard holds a master’s degree in education from Grand Canyon University, and she earned her Ed.D from Northern Arizona University in 2009 with her dissertation: “Perceived Effects of Arizona’s Instrument for Measuring Standards (AIMS) on High School English Curriculum: A Multiple Case Study of Four High Schools.”

Dr. Paula Livingston holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University and currently serves as the Dean of Instruction and Occupational Education at Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) where she provides collaborative visionary leadership and support for 15 academic and occupational/CTE divisions and programs. Additionally, Dr. Livingston leads the work out of the Center for Workforce and Experiential Learning and the EMCC Makerspace in supporting critical workforce initiatives and project-based learning opportunities for students and our communities. In her work, Dr. Livingston develops and fosters relationships with business/industry, education partners, and community organizations to further EMCC’s mission of student success.

Dr. Livingston has collaborated with faculty in developing and expanding educational offerings to support the socio-economic mobility and educational advancement of students. Her focus has been on promoting teaching excellence, fostering an environment of inclusivity and teamwork, and championing innovation across the college. She has worked closely with faculty and provided academic leadership for expansion of the Nursing program, the successful partnership and launch of the first Microsoft Datacenter Academy in Arizona, and the development of the first 2-year Artificial Intelligence program in the United States. Additionally, Dr. Livingston has been integral in garnering millions in grant funding and donations to support teaching and learning, student scholarships, and workforce development programming. Dr. Livingston also has the wonderful opportunity to adjunct teach for EMCC, helping to promote student completion and degree attainment. Prior to joining EMCC, Dr. Livingston served as the Director of Institutional Strategies at Scottsdale Community College (SCC). In that role, she provided leadership on variety of projects and initiatives including tri-chairing SCC’s successful reaccreditation process, development of a college-wide strategic planning and program review model, and the management and distribution of workforce development funds.