Cincinnati State Technical and Community College named a replacement for its outgoing president July 28 after a national search process.
Robbin Hoopes will take over the role after the current president Monica Posey retires on Aug. 31. Posey was Cincinnati State's first female president and the first African American woman to lead a higher education institution in Greater Cincinnati.
Hoopes has served as the community college's provost and chief academic officer since 2016. He also previously served as the dean of the Humanities and Sciences Division at Cincinnati State, according to his CV.
As provost, Hoopes helped develop Cincinnati State's first bachelor's degree programs and expand the college's programs in health care and aviation maintenance,
according to the news release. He also helped increase transfer opportunities with other colleges in the area, the release said.
"I am confident that (Hoopes) is the best person to lead the college to the next level, and I am committed to supporting this transition and the future of Cincinnati State," Posey said in the release.
A national search committee interviewed over 80 candidates and narrowed the search down to three finalists, according to a July 28 press release. Hoopes was the only internal finalist. The other two finalists were Dave Ferreira, provost of Charter Oak State College in Connecticut, and Marc Singer, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs of Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania.
According to the release, Hoopes was raised on a dairy farm in eastern Ohio, and he spent his early professional career as a litigator.
Before coming to Cincinnati State, Hopes worked as an assistant dean, program chair and professor at Sinclair Community College, according to his CV. He received his bachelor's degree in political science from University of Akron, his law degree from University of Cincinnati and a master's of arts in linguistics from Gallaudet University. He completed a doctoral fellowship in sociolinguistics at Georgetown University.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who is Cincinnati State's new president?
