New campus president brings strong experience in academic and administrative roles
Todd Kitchen will be Eastern Campus president at Tri-C.
After completing a nationwide search, Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) has announced the hiring of Todd Kitchen, Ed.D, as the new president of its Eastern Campus.
He comes to Tri-C with more than 20 years of experience in higher education, the last 10 spent as vice president of student services at Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC), a college serving more than 15,000 students in and around the city of Bentonville.
Kitchen, who met Tri-C students, faculty and staff in a pair of town halls last month, said he was drawn to the College’s discernible commitment to its mission to provide not just access to education, but also equity and success for all students regardless of their background or financial situation, according to a press announcement.
“The mission of Tri-C resonates very strongly with who I am as an educator and as a person,” Kitchen said in the release. “I am excited to join the team and continue the important work of serving the Cleveland community.”
Kitchen’s background includes experience driving institution-wide strategic initiatives to increase access to education and improve student completion rates, such as online education programs, creating a college-wide counseling and wellness center and fostering collaborations with four-year institutions to guarantee admissions for underserved students.
“Dr. Todd Kitchen brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the College,” said Tri-C President Alex Johnson, who last week announced his intention to retire next spring. “We are excited to bring him aboard as president of the Eastern Campus, where he will build upon the great work that has already been done to continue meeting residents’ changing educational needs in Cleveland’s eastern suburbs.”
Prior to serving as NWACC’s vice president of student services, Kitchen was director of admissions (2008-2009) and dean of learner administrative services (2009-2011). Before that, he spent a decade in various positions at Wentworth Military Academy and College in Lexington, Missouri. He is a member of the National Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers and the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals.
A military veteran, Kitchen served in the U.S. Army from 1989 to 1998 and was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas; Kitzingen, Germany; and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. He was deployed to the Persian Gulf region from 1990 to 1991 as part of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
Kitchen will join Tri-C later this fall. He replaces William Cunion, who has served as interim president at Eastern Campus since August.
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