CMC Board of Trustees determines timeline for presidential search

March 22, 2024 – The Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees met on March 22 at the CMC Vail Valley at Edwards campus to discuss the search process for the college’s next president and chief executive officer. During the meeting, trustees held an executive session to establish a process to select the next president.

Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, one of the most tenured higher education CEOs in Colorado and the longest serving president in Colorado Mountain College history, recently announced her decision to step down in August after nearly 11 years in the role.

Citing the strength and stability of CMC’s talented team of staff and faculty, trustees have determined that the college will conduct an internal search to identify current employees who are qualified to fill the role. The position will be open for internal applicants for 10 days, starting March 27 and ending April 5. Trustees will meet soon thereafter to discuss applicants and determine next steps, with a goal of having a new president in the role by the start of the 2024 fall semester in August.

“President Hauser helped make CMC into the thriving college that it is today, and it is absolutely vital that the next president have the knowledge, skills and abilities to maintain that positive trajectory,” said CMC Board of Trustees President Peg Portscheller. “As elected trustees, we recognize that the public has entrusted us to select the right person as president to ensure CMC’s continued success, and we’re confident that we have a process in place to help us do just that.”