EVERETT — The contract between Everett Community College and its new president will pay her $241,000 annually.
The college board of trustees unanimously approved the agreement Monday.
The five-page contract already has been signed by Daria J. Willis, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York. The campus is within the State University of New York system.
Willis signed a three-year contract that will begin July 1. The agreement includes up to $20,000 in moving expenses.
Willis will replace EvCC President Dave Beyer. He announced in September that he plans to retire in June after 13 years leading the college. Beyer is the longest-serving president in the college’s history. His salary this year is $254,689, according to college records.
Willis will become the college’s 17th president since the college opened in 1941. This will be her first stint as a college president.
She began her career as an adjunct faculty member teaching History at Tallahassee Community College. She relocated to Houston, serving as an assistant professor of history, department chairwoman, faculty senate president and executive dean of centers with the Lone Star College system with more than 95,000 students.
Willis previously served as dean of academic studies at Lee College in Baytown, Texas. She earned a doctorate in history from Florida State University. Her bachelor’s degree is in history education and she has a master’s degree in history from Florida A&M University.
The decision to hire Willis followed a national search, a campus visit with student, faculty, staff and community forums as well as an in-depth interview with the board of trustees. There were 41 applications.
Willis will lead an institution that serves more than 19,000 students per year at several locations throughout Snohomish County, with most students at the college’s main campus in Everett. In the past decade, EvCC has added more than $150 million in new construction.
Jerry Cornfield contributed to this story.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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