(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE, Wash. -Darren Pitcher, acting president for Spokane Falls Community College, has resigned.
Dr. Pitcher's resignation comes in the midst of an investigation into sexual harassment claims. A spokesman for the college tells KHQ an investigation was underway when Dr. Pitcher submitted his resignation letter.
Once he stepped down however, the investigation was closed.
In a statement, SFCC said Pitcher resigned earlier this week "to focus on his health and his family."
Dr. Pitcher has served as acting president at SFCC since Janet Gullickson stepped down in 2017 president of Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Before stepping into his role as acting president, Pitcher worked as SFCC's vice president for learning and student services. He previously worked for 13 years in leadership roles at Miles Community College in Montana, where he earned his associate degree.
In a news release Wednesday, Community Colleges of Spokane Chancellor Christine Johnson announced she had appointed Dr. Nancy Fair-Szofran to take Dr. Pitcher's place until the recruitment and selection process for a permanent president is completed this spring.
“I have great confidence in Dr. Szofran’s leadership and ability to ensure the excellent student-focused work at SFCC continues uninterrupted during this transition,” Johnson said in the release.
Fair-Szofran is the college district’s provost and chief learning officer, a position she will return to following this temporary assignment. She joined CCS in 2012 as the provost. Prior to that, she was the interim library dean and vice president of research, planning and institutional effectiveness at Mt. Hood Community College.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Northeast Missouri State University, a master’s degree in library/information science from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a doctoral degree in education from the University of Idaho.
The nationwide search for a permanent president began in December and interviews with the strong pool of candidates will begin in March.