Finalists Named for Presidency of Northland Community and Technical College

ST. PAUL, March 20, 2025 – Minnesota State has named four finalists in the search for the president of Northland Community & Technical College. The candidates are John Fields, Richard Gale, Shari Olson, and Tami Such.

The candidates were recommended by a search advisory committee that was comprised of students, faculty, staff, and community leaders, and was chaired by Joy Bodin, president of Hennepin Technical College. The candidates are scheduled to conduct campus visits March 26-March 31. The campus visits provide an opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and members of the community to meet each of the candidates and offer feedback. Details of the candidates’ campus visits and the process for providing feedback are available at www.northlandcollege.edu/about/presidential-search/.

John Fields currently serves as vice president of academic and student affairs for Northland Community & Technical College, a role he has held since 2024. Previously, he served in several roles at Blue Mountain Community College (OR) from 2018-2023, including executive vice president of learning and student success, vice president of instruction, and acting vice president of student services. He also served Florida State College at Jacksonville between 2007-2018 in the roles of dean of arts and sciences, dean of fine arts and humanities, institutional effectiveness and outcomes assessment facilitator, and chair of the foreign language council. He was also a professor of French and humanities at Florida State College at Jacksonville. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s from the University of Florida Gainesville, and a juris doctorate from Rutgers School of Law. He is scheduled to visit Northland Community & Technical College on Monday, March 31, starting on the East Grand Forks campus.

Richard Gale has served as director of the applied research center at Camosun College (BC) since 2018. Previously, he served Capilano University (BC) as acting president (2016), and provost and vice president of academics from 2013-2017. He served as director of the Institute for Scholarship of Teaching & Learning at Mount Royal University (AB) between 2010-2013 and visiting scholar at Mount Royal University from 2009-2010. He was a visiting professor at Royal Roads University (BC) from 2008-2009, a visiting scholar for Douglas College (BC) from 2007-2008, and the SoLT residency program coordinator at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary between 2005-2009. He served the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching from 2002-2007 as a senior scholar and then as CASTL higher ed program director. He also has teaching experience at Sonoma State University (CA), and Bowling Green State University (OH). He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s from San Jose State University, a master’s from the University of California San Diego, and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. He is scheduled to visit Northland Community & Technical College on Friday, March 28, starting on the Thief River Falls campus.

Shari Olson currently serves as interim president of Northland Community & Technical College, a role she has held since July 2024. Previously, she served South Mountain Community College (AZ) as president from 2011 until her retirement in 2022. Prior to that, she served Anoka Technical College (MN) as interim president from 2010-2011, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (now Minnesota State) as system director of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from 2009-2010, Eastern Wyoming College as president from 2007-2008, and Northland Community & Technical College from 1995-2007 in several capacities, including as vice president of planning and administrative services from 2006-2007, vice president of outreach and planning from 2005-2006, and vice president of outreach and technology from 2004-2005. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s from North Dakota State University, and a doctorate from the University of North Dakota. She is scheduled to visit Northland Community & Technical College on Monday, March 31, beginning on the Thief River Falls campus.

Tami Such has served as dean of the school of health sciences for Valencia College (FL) since 2024. Prior to her current role, she held higher education positions with Florida SouthWestern State College as the dean of the school of health professions from 2021-2024, and Mayville State University (ND) between 2014-2021 where she served in numerous positions, most recently as the interim vice president for academic affairs, dean of nursing, and associate professor of nursing. She also served Northwest Technical College (MN) as nursing instructor and associate degree distance program coordinator between 2007-2014. She served Minnesota State Community and Technical College as a nursing instructor from 2003-2006, as well as North Dakota State College of Science as a nursing instructor between 2003-2004. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary, a master’s from Minnesota State University Moorhead, and a doctorate from the University of North Dakota. She is scheduled to visit Northland Community & Technical College on Wednesday, March 26, starting on the East Grand Forks campus.

The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is expected to consider Chancellor Scott Olson’s recommendation at its April 16, 2025 meeting. The anticipated start date of the new president is July 1, 2025.

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Minnesota State includes 26 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 270,000 students. It is the fourth-largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the United States.