EVERETT — Darrell Cain officially started Monday as interim president of Everett Community College.
Earlier in February the EvCC Board of Trustees approved his contract that started Monday and ends Aug. 31, 2023. But the agreement needed adjustments for clarity and wording, board President Toraya Miller said. They were approved unanimously.
“There were no substantive changes,” Miller said.
Cain was president of Pierce College Puyallup for over three years. As EvCC’s interim president, he is set to earn a salary of $248,230.80 plus health, paid leave and retirement benefits.
It’s on par with his predecessor, Daria Willis, whose three-year contract included a salary of $241,000. Willis left in December to helm Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland.
Pierce College, which operates as a district at two colleges on Joint Base Lewis-McChord and at two high schools, had over 6,900 full-time equivalent students enrolled last school year.
In that same span, EvCC tallied 17,065 students across its education offerings, both credit and non-credit.
Cain takes over a college facing some strife. In board meetings, union representatives for faculty and staff have warned of exhaustion, low morale and inconsistency from the administration.
The college’s leaders faced criticism for a proposal to close the Early Learning Center, a preschool for children from families with low incomes alongside EvCC faculty, staff and students.
The board is looking to hire a full president.
Ben Watanabe: bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3037; Twitter @benwatanabe.
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