Coe College issued the following announcement on October 12.
After a competitive national search, the Coe College Board of Trustees has selected Interim President David T. Hayes ’93 as the college’s 16th president. He will assume the presidency immediately.
Acting as interim president since January 1, 2021, Hayes sustained the positive progress of the strategic plan, A Bolder Coe, and guided the college through a public health crisis and recovery from a natural disaster, the August 2020 derecho. In the interim time period, Coe enrolled the third-largest class in the college’s history, received national recognition for its diversity, equity and inclusion as well as internship and career initiatives and successfully advanced fundraising for the David and Janice McInally Center for Health and Society. In his prior role as vice president for advancement he improved relationships across alumni and increased Coe’s average annual fundraising outcomes by nearly 30% over the previous five-year average.
As a faculty member, Hayes was twice named the recipient of the Charles J. Lynch Outstanding Teacher Award and held the Louis J. & Ella Pochobradsky chair. He is a passionate teacher and known for his commitment to the student experience as an engaging and accessible mentor.
“It was clear that David is dedicated to ensuring Coe grows in its role as a leader in higher education and will pursue innovative ideas that enhance both the student experience and Coe’s national reputation,” said Board of Trustees Chair Ken Golder ’82. “He has deep roots both at Coe and across the Cedar Rapids community, and is a leader who can articulate a vision and inspire others to pursue it with the same vigor he will.”
Hayes is the first alum to serve as president at Coe.
“It has been an honor to serve Coe in the interim role. The resiliency and ingenuity of our community over the past nine months has been humbling to witness,” Hayes said. “It is with great joy and eagerness that I begin this new role as president, especially at a college so dear to me personally.
“I am committed to upholding Coe’s values and advocating for our mission, which has resonated with thousands of students over decades. I look forward to continuing the tradition of fostering an informed, curious and innovative campus community.”
Hayes was selected after an extensive national presidential search. The search was initiated in the spring of 2020 with more than 20 stakeholder listening sessions, and then paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The search was reactivated in the spring of 2021 with a 13-member presidential search committee including student leaders Shion Kabasele ’22 and Angelina Ramirez ’22; staff members Andy Cooley (human resources) and Bryan Martin (athletics); faculty members Mario Affatigato ’89 (physics) and Sara Farrell (psychology); and trustees Darryl Banks ’72, Ken Golder ’82 (chair), Kent Herink ’76, Dave Lusson ’87, Tim Sagers ’97, Kristin Strohm ’05 and Carson Veach ’74. Kim Pribyl, assistant to the president, served as search secretary. Over the course of the multi-month process, the search committee reviewed and interviewed a robust and diverse pool of accomplished candidates.
“I am grateful to this committee for their tireless efforts. They spent a significant amount of time reviewing applications and interviewing a highly qualified pool of applicants,” Golder said.
Hayes and his wife, Heather, are the parents of three children, Mackenzie, Johanna and Allison. Heather is the senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Coe College
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