News
12 Moving Forward in SMC Presidential Search
Published on September 11, 2025 - 12 p.m.
The search for Southwestern Michigan College’s ninth president continues on schedule, the College reported today.
The Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee have been evaluating the 128 applications received over a six-week period that ended Aug. 17. At a special public meeting of the board on Sept. 5, the Committee recommended a slate of candidates for interviews.
Twelve of the contenders have agreed to move forward in the process: Michelle Allmendinger, Vincent Bowhay, John Davis, Julius Edwards, Billy Franklin, Michael Graham, Brandy Hawkins, Kevin McCaskey, Derek Moore, Klint Pleasant, Jonathan Swarts and David Wulf.
Director of Human Resources Nicole Lehman said, “The selected candidates have a wide range of experience and backgrounds, and we’re eager to meet them in remote interviews over the next few weeks.”
After those interviews, the Committee will select several finalists to interview on the SMC campus in a public setting.
SMC’s eighth president, Dr. Joe Odenwald, resigned in February and Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Brent Brewer was named Interim President effective May 11.
The College has set a goal of having a contract with the next president in place by the end of 2025.
Updates on the search process can be found at https://swmich.edu/presidential-search/
