Pensacola State College - President

Review of applications begins immediately. Deadline for applications is July 31, 2026.

Complete information is available on the Search Profile.

Pensacola State College, in Northwest Florida, seeks a dynamic and experienced leader to serve as President. The President serves as the institution’s chief executive officer and corporate secretary to the Board of Trustees, providing visionary, mission-driven leadership. The President guides strategic planning and institutional effectiveness while fostering a culture of student success and academic excellence.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The President serves as the institution’s chief executive officer and corporate secretary to the board of trustees, providing visionary, mission-driven leadership. The President guides strategic planning and institutional effectiveness while fostering a culture of student success, access, and academic excellence.

Working collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, trustees, and community partners, the President oversees financial stewardship, resource development, academic programs, enrollment management, and campus operations.

The role carries responsibility for policy implementation, regulatory compliance, and accountability to state performance goals. As the institution’s principal ambassador, the President cultivates partnerships, advances workforce and transfer pathways, and ensures responsible governance aligned with state law and Board priorities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Pensacola State College is an indispensable and valued community partner, highly responsive to local educational and workforce needs. The Pensacola State President reports directly to the District Board of Trustees and is a visible, active member of the College community and must display technical and principled leadership in all matters.

To achieve this, the President must be an accomplished, energetic leader capable of the following:

• Providing visionary leadership, ensuring compliance with state and federal law, the rules and regulations of the State Board of Education, and College policies and procedures, while aligning institutional priorities with state and community needs to advance student success and academic excellence;
• Articulating and advancing a compelling, mission-centered vision in partnership with the Board, guiding strategic planning and institutional priorities, and take calculated, transformational risks to position the College for success in a rapidly changing educational environment;
• Demonstrating institutional leadership, including a working knowledge of accreditation standards, articulation agreements, and workforce alignment, ensuring academic programs meet evolving student and community needs;
• Promoting collaboration, transparency, and respect among students, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders, and advancing the “one college” concept across multiple campuses and centers;
• Serving as the College’s chief executive and public representative, strengthening relationships with legislators, community leaders, industry partners, and donors, and partnering with the College’s direct-support organization and Board to advance advocacy, resource development, and philanthropic support consistent with Florida law;
• Providing strategic, transparent, and ethical fiscal stewardship, aligning resources with institutional goals, promoting affordability, diversifying funding streams, and ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and audit requirements;
• Championing academic excellence and student success, advancing high-quality instruction, innovation, comprehensive student-centered services, and seamless systems, using data-informed strategies to improve enrollment, retention, completion, and institutional effectiveness;
• Leading long-range planning for capital assets, facilities, and technology, integrating innovation and digital transformation to enhance learning, operational efficiency, and institutional growth;
• Cultivating and sustaining a high performing workforce while supporting professional development, leadership growth, a positive organizational culture, and strategic talent management;
• Demonstrating competence in crisis management, safety planning, and institutional resilience, ensuring preparedness and effective response to emergencies; and
• Maintaining a strong, transparent, and collaborative partnership with the Board, providing timely, data-informed counsel, executing Board policies faithfully, and ensuring clear communication and thorough preparation to support effective governance.

REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, Ph.D. or other doctoral degree, or equivalent work experience
• Executive leadership experience in higher-ed or business, or equivalent experience in the military or state/federal government
• Experience with state education policy
• Experience with state budgetary processes

NORTHWEST FLORIDA

Located on Florida’s northwest coast, Pensacola is the county seat and only city in Escambia County, which has a population of more than 500,000. A seaport on Pensacola Bay, the city is protected by Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island to the Gulf of America. The city 59 miles east of Mobile, Alabama, and 196 miles west of Tallahassee, the capital of Florida. Pensacola is also home to the Naval Air Station Pensacola, one of the oldest and largest naval air stations in the United States, as well as the Blue Angels flight-demonstration team and the National Naval Aviation Museum.

The largest companies in the area include the Navy Federal Credit Union, Baptist Health Care, Sacred Heart Health Systems, Florida Power and Light, West Florida Healthcare, and Santa Rosa Medical Center.

There are multiple performance venues in the Pensacola area, including the Pensacola Bay and the Saenger Theater. Other theatres used for live performances, plays, and musicals include the Pensacola Little Theatre, Pensacola State College, University of West Florida, Vinyl Music Hall, and Loblolly Theatre.

Pensacola is also home to the Pensacola Opera, Pensacola Children’s Chorus, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Civic Band, Pensacola Bay Concert Band, and the Choral Society of Pensacola, as well as Ballet Pensacola and the Palafox Place entertainment district.

Parks and museums as well as beaches are numerous in Northwest Florida. Museums include Historic Pensacola’s Museum of Commerce, Museum of Industry, National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola MESS Hall, and the Pensacola Museum of Art. Sports boast the Pensacola Ice Flyers (ice hockey), Gulf Coast Riptide (football), Pensacola Blue Wahoos (baseball), Pensacola Christian Eagles (basketball, soccer, and volleyball), Pensacola FC (soccer), West Florida Argonauts (baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball), and West Florida Roller Derby.

The Five Flags Speedway is a half-mile paved racetrack that opened in 1953. Northwest Florida is also known for the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Big Lagoon State Park, Perdido Key State Park, Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park, Pensacola Bayfront Stadium—a multi-use park in Pensacola—Plaza Ferdinand VII, Bayview Park, Miraflores Park, and an abundance of beautiful seashores known for their emerald-green water and white sugar-sand beaches.