SPSCC picks next president

South Puget Sound Community College’s next president will be Timothy Stokes.

He is executive vice president for Academic and Student Affairs at Tacoma Community College. Stokes will begin at SPSCC on Feb. 1.

“We are delighted Dr. Stokes will be leading our college,” Judy Blinn, chair of the college’s Board of Trustees, said in a news release. “He is a strong, energetic leader, who is committed to community engagement and is passionate about student success.”

Before moving to TCC, Stokes was vice president for Student Learning at Texas State Technical College and executive director of the Southwest Arkansas Technology Learning Center at Henderson State University.

He has a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Arkansas.

“I’m honored to be leading such a well-regarded institution,” Stokes said. “…The college has a great future, and I’m excited to be part of this community and to begin the work of moving the college forward, together.”

Stokes will succeed SPSCC president Gerald Pumphrey who is retiring more than six years at the Olympia-based college.