PCC’s newest board member says college leadership 'needs support'

Wade McLean, former superintendent of Marana Unified School District, is the newest member of Pima Community College’s Governing Board.

When Catherine Ripley, who had served on the board since 2020, resigned late last year her seat opened and became the responsibility of Pima County School Superintendent Dustin J. Williams to fill with an appointee. Williams’ office announced earlier this week that it had reviewed numerous applications and selected McLean.

“Dr. McLean stood out as the candidate who most closely aligns with the Pima Community College adopted mission, vision, and values,” Williams said in a news release. Appointing McLean, he continued, “will ensure a smooth and effective transition for PCC” because “(h)e brings a set of fresh eyes to the governing board and is committed to serving all PCC stakeholders while focusing on the needs of students, staff, and faculty.”

McLean will serve as an appointed board member until 2024, at which point he may choose to run for re-election to retain his seat. Two other new board members who won their seats in November’s general election, Theresa Riel and Greg Taylor, will also join McLean this year. Maria Garcia and Luis L. Gonzales are the two returning board members.

McLean, who earned three degrees from the University of Arizona, worked as a teacher and administrator in the state for decades before retiring in 2019. He also served on the Arizona State Board of Education, which is charged with enacting state education policy.

All of these experiences, he said, have equipped him with the skills he believes will bring harmony to the five-member board, whose previous iteration had disagreements on its support of the college’s leadership. “I have a pretty good track record of bringing people together,” McLean said. “I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to move the board in a positive direction.”

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But, McLean and two other new board members are starting their terms after a dramatic few months for the college’s top brass.

Garcia and Gonzales filed complaints against Chancellor Lee Lambert with the college’s accreditor in 2021 (the accreditor later dismissed the majority of the complaints) and are supported by a community group called People4PCC which called for Lambert’s resignation last fall. Meanwhile, the three board members who have since left their positions made clear their support for Lambert.

“I don’t quite understand that” McLean said, “From the outside looking in, (Lambert) seems like he’s got his pulse on the community.” He added that, as part of the college’s strategy to boost enrollment, he’s supportive of Lambert’s efforts to attract more students by building up PCC’s workforce development programs.

“A good leader needs support,” McLean said. “It will be my job to create an atmosphere in which the college can move forward, and that means leadership needs to be seen in a positive way. My hope is that I can help the board have conversations about how to improve the college and not get involved in issues that really aren’t significant.”