ACC is making some changes at the top to prepare the college for the hard work of aligning our work with our Theory of Change.
The updates to these positions allow the college to have a stronger focus on strategic initiatives, improved communication with employee associations, and knowledgeable leads for some of our priority programs.
Cabinet Changes
Dr. Garrett Groves, ACC’s Vice Chancellor of Strategic Initiatives, will no longer have the additional responsibility of Chancellor’s Chief of Staff to allow him to focus all his efforts on collaborative partnerships.
As the Chancellor’s 100 Days concluded, and the college began identifying priorities that are now embedded within the Theory of Change, it became clear that a strong focus must be maintained on strategic initiatives that will have a significant impact on our students and the college at the regional and national level. Recent examples include transformative investments in our region’s semiconductor industry by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Act, the City of Austin’s newly announced Infrastructure Academy, and the cross-departmental work to prepare and implement the Free Tuition Initiative.
Additionally, with a pause on the college’s Workday Student Information Systems (SIS) implementation project, Mike Midgley is transitioning from Senior Vice Chancellor of SIS to a new role as Special Advisor to the Chancellor.
During his lengthy tenure at the college, Midgley has served as a faculty member, an Instructional Administrator, and, for the past year, as part of the leadership team for the Workday SIS implementation project. In his new role, he will draw on his extensive knowledge and experience to support ACC’s Theory of Change implementation and work as a conduit between the employee associations and the cabinet.
Lastly, ACC’s Executive Vice Chancellor of Operations & Public Affairs, Dr. Molly Beth Malcolm, has announced that she will retire in August 2024 after more than 12 years of service to the college and the Central Texas community. Dr. Malcolm has led the development and growth of the college’s government and community relations programs, as well as the college’s safety and operations initiatives.
Read the full announcement and her plans for retirement here.
Other administrative updates
The college has filled the role of Associate Vice Chancellor of Workforce Education, which has been vacant since Gretchen Riehl’s retirement in December 2023. Dr. Brandon Whatley will return to ACC to serve in the role. He brings with him valuable experience as a department chair in Welding and instructional dean of DMCAT as well as a record of accomplishments at ACC that include leading the development and launch of our Bachelor of Applied Technology in Manufacturing Engineering Technology.
Additionally, after serving in an “interim” capacity for four years, Mison Zuniga has been named the Associate Vice Chancellor of College & High School Relations.
Finally, the college will be hiring for the new role of Associate Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences. Health Sciences is a large, complex group of 14 programs, each with accrediting bodies, competitive admissions, clinical applied learning requirements, and licensing exams to enter one’s chosen field. Central Texas has asked the college to double many of our health sciences programs, and these programs need strategic leadership from an AVC who can actively engage with our large and small healthcare partners in Central Texas. The college hopes to fill the role sometime this summer.