GADSDEN — The presidential search committee has selected the top five candidates for the position of president at Gadsden State Community College, formerly held by Dr. W. Darryl Harrison.   

Among those still in contention from Gadsden State are Martha G. Lavender, assistant to the president for Gadsden State Cherokee and Division of Health Sciences; and Valerie A. Richardson, vice president for institutional advancement and student services. 

Other applicants include Sylvia M. Burgess, associate vice president for academic affairs and director of adult and continuing education, Southwest Oklahoma Area Health Education Center; Phillip Charles Cleveland, interim president of Chattahoochee Valley Community College, Phenix City; and Raymond William Staats, chief academic officer, John Wood Community College, retired Air Force officer.  

The public is invited to a reception honoring the top five on Wednesday, April 13. The reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. to  7:30 p.m. at the Gadsden State Cafeteria, located in Inzer Hall on the Wallace Drive Campus.  

On the following day, the candidates will be interviewed by the committee to select the top three who will then meet with Chancellor Freida Hill of the Department of Postsecondary Education in Montgomery. These interviews will begin at 9 a.m. in the Browder Hall Auditorium located on the Wallace Drive Campus. 

The State Board of Education is expected to announce the new president at the April 28 meeting, which will be held in Montgomery.