Vice President of Academic Affairs
A Public Forum has been held for the Vice President of Academic Affairs at GateWay Community College, with a Q&A session that followed their public address:
Monday, November 13, 2023
1:30 p.m. – 5:20 p.m., Integrated Education Building – Copper Room, IE1302
The candidate's bio and photo are provided below. A link to the recording of the forum is now available next to the candidate's name.
The Feedback Form is live and available to all employees/guests to submit anonymous feedback from Nov. 13 – Nov. 15.
All feedback is confidential and is sent directly to President Amy Diaz.
Candidate Biographies
Dr. Jessica Clark | 1:30 p.m. | View Recording
Dr. Jessica "Jess" Clark is an accomplished higher education leader with more than two decades of experience across four states. Her academic background includes specialized knowledge in history, higher education administration, ethnic and gender studies, oral histories, memory studies, and leadership. As a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Clark embodies values such as a strong work ethic and innovation, which have shaped her journey. Her commitment to fostering intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and inclusivity inspires her service to community colleges. Dr. Clark's expertise in social and cultural history, combined with her engagement in related fields, drives her dedication to positively impacting students' lives and communities while paying forward the opportunities that have been afforded to her.
In her role as the Vice President of Instruction at Walla Walla Community College (WWCC), Dr. Clark provided leadership to a team of deans and directors, played a crucial role in faculty negotiations, oversaw statewide programs, and served as the Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) responsible for overseeing institutional accreditation. Before WWCC, Dr. Clark served as Vice President of Learning and Student Services at Northland Pioneer College (NPC), where she supervised academic deans, student services directors, and marketing professionals. Her commitment to higher education leadership also led her to actively participate in state-level organizations, influencing instructional policies and collaborating with peers from different colleges. Additionally, she chaired committees on various educational initiatives and served as the Institutional Representative for the Arizona Women in Higher Education.
Dr. Clark has a Post-Doctoral Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Wyoming. She also holds a Doctor of Philosophy in History, a Master of Arts in History, and a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education: History.
Dr. John Fields | 2:30 p.m. | View Recording
Dr. John Fields is a collaborative leader with more than two decades’ experience in the classroom and as an administrator at both large, urban, and small, rural community colleges. He has a track record of successfully creating student-centric, equity-minded, transformative learning opportunities that change lives and build community by enhancing access, improving engagement, and increasing student success.
Dr. Field's work in the classroom (as a high school teacher, adjunct, and tenured faculty member), professional development formation, and leadership opportunities as a dean and vice president provide him particular strengths in program development and curricular alignment, integration of transfer and career-technical programming, holistic student success initiatives, strategic thinking from planning through closing the loop, alternative dispute resolution, accreditation, engaging community partners, and bolstering business engagement.
As a vocal anti-racist leader and proponent of equity-mindedness in all that we do, John is committed to using his privilege to mitigate, reverse, and eradicate internal barriers that create systemic injustices within his spheres of influence and is proud of the significant advances made in closing equity and achievement gaps over the past five years at Blue Mountain Community College in our Indigenous and Latinx populations.
Dr. Fields holds a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers School of Law, an M.A. in French literature and a B.A. in French language and culture from the University of Florida, and an A.A. from Florida Community College at Jacksonville.
Dr. Paula Livingston | 3:30 p.m. | View Recording
Dr. Paula Livingston started her career in the Maricopa County Community College District over 12 years ago when she started at Scottsdale Community College. Her journey took her to Estrella Mountain Community College where she currently serves as the Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs and provides collaborative visionary leadership and support to all academic and occupational/CTE divisions and programs. Before moving in to the role of interim VPAA, Paula was the Dean of Instruction and Workforce Development at EMCC where she provided oversight and leadership for several academic and occupational division and programs as well as the work out of the Center for Workforce and Experiential Learning and the EMCC Makerspace.
Dr. Livingston is a champion of the community college mission and strongly believes in the critical role community colleges play in supporting the economic vitality of the communities we serve. Paula’s experience in higher education spans across academic areas including special focus on workforce initiatives, experiential learning opportunities for students, accreditation and compliance, and strategic planning. Utilizing the principles of shared governance, Paula has worked collaboratively across all areas of the institution to foster a sense of inclusion and diversity of perspectives and voices in the decision-making process.
Dr. Livingston holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership – Higher Education/Community College from Northern Arizona University, a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Weber State University. In her spare time, Paula enjoys outdoor activities including mountain biking, scuba diving, and exploring new places but her passion is being a grandma to the cutest grandbabies.
Dr. Tom Nevill | 4:30 p.m. | View Recording
Dr. Tom Nevill currently serves as Vice President of Academics at Butler Community College and has over 20 years of distinguished higher education experience in executive, administrative, and faculty roles. At Butler, he provides direction and guidance for faculty and staff to foster academic excellence and led the college-wide initiative to be the first Adobe Creative Campus in Kansas (50th in the world) to enhance digital literacy and fluency for students and staff, leading to the 2021-2022 Innovation of the Year Award from the League of Innovation and was also awarded the Aviso Aspire Award for equity and equity-mindedness in higher education for improving student retention and persistence.
Under his leadership, Butler became an Intermediary Sponsor on behalf of the Kansas State Office of Apprenticeships to support the statewide effort to modernize, diversify, and expand Registered Apprenticeships in Kansas with an infusion of $1.4 million to the college to grow apprenticeships in the region, across the state, and nationally through innovative workforce pathways and partnerships.
Prior to joining the Butler community, he was the founding Dean of Arts & Digital Media at Austin Community College in Austin, TX, with prior administrative experience as Dean of Arts & Humanities at Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ, and Division Chair (dean equivalent) of Business, Creative and Performing Arts at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, NC.
Dr. Nevill received his Bachelor of Music degree from Eastern Illinois University and earned his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).