LYNN — North Shore Community College is close to having an interim president in place when Dr. Patricia A. Gentile’s retirement takes effect in July.
Dr. Nate Bryant, vice president and chief of staff to president John Keenan at Salem State University, has been unanimously approved for the position. The board’s choice must still be approved by Dr. Carlos Santiago, the state’s commissioner of higher education.
Bryant had a two-hour interview with the college’s board of trustees in a special virtual public meeting Thursday, April 9. After discussion Tuesday, the board voted to support his candidacy. If confirmed, Dr. Bryant’s term will begin in early July.
Dr. Bryant has 30-plus years of experience in public higher education, including senior-level leadership in enrollment management, student support services, and fundraising. He is a longtime resident of Salem and civic leader in the region, serving on the boards of the North Shore Medical Center, Salem Chamber of Commerce, and Marblehead Bank, among other organizations.
Dr. Bryant is also a 25-year veteran of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO), Board 130, and is a member of the Agganis Scholarship Committee.
He holds a doctorate of education from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Salem State.
“Everything I have done has prepared me to be the president of North Shore Community College and I am humbled and honored to be considered for this position,” Dr. Bryant said. “I am interested in providing better opportunities for our students and seeing that they achieve their goals, whatever those may be.”
“We have a very challenging road ahead and the task of leadership is not up to the Interim president alone,” said Dr. J.D. LaRock, chair of the NSCC board. “We must all share the mantle of leadership in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the changes in the world that will impact the college. What’s important is that we choose a leader who can be trusted, who listens, who can take feedback and apply it, act with integrity, and make strong and clear decisions when the situations warrant it. Our board believes Dr. Bryant is that leader.”
Dr. Bryant received high praise from Salem State president John Keenan.
“Words cannot do justice to the crucial role that Nate has played as chief of staff at SSU,” said Keenan. “He has provided leadership and counsel during some of our university’s greatest challenges in recent years, all while being an ardent student advocate. I believe that NSCC and the entire region can benefit tremendously from Nate applying his dedication and talent in this new way.”
Over the course of the next year NSCC’s Board of Trustees will conduct a full, national presidential search with an expected final decision to be made during the 2020-21 school year.
