Olympic College narrows president search to four finalists

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Olympic College announced March 3 that it has narrowed its search down to four finalists for consideration as the school’s next president.

OC is searching for a replacement following the retirement of former president Marty Cavalluzzi last year, who led the school for seven years. Joan Hanten has served as interim president during the search for a new president.

The college has completed a series of forums featuring the four finalists, which were held Feb. 23-27 at the school’s Bremerton, Poulsbo and Shelton campuses. The forums provided students and employees with the opportunity to engage with each candidate and learn more about their experience, leadership styles and vision for OC’s future, a news release says.

The four finalists are Dr. Lisa Mayte Edwards, Dr. Angela McLean, Dr. Chantae Recasner and Dr. Mark Singer.

“Thank you to everyone at Olympic College for extending a warm welcome to president finalists,” OC Board of Trustees chair Harriette Bryant said. “We put our best foot forward as a college and the finalists took notice, with each commenting on how welcoming and accommodating everyone was.”

Edwards is currently vice president for student affairs at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado, and previously worked at Lower Columbia College as the vice president of student success. She has also worked at the University of Denver, University of Northern Colorado, Grinnell College and Western Washington University. Edwards received her undergraduate degree from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma and her master’s from WWU.

McLean is the director of American Indian and Minority Achievement and K–12 Partnerships at the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education for the Montana University System. She also leads MUS’s Education Design Lab, an employer-designed micropathway initiative, and Montana’s Future at Work program. McLean is a former junior high and high school teacher in Montana and later served as vice chair of the Montana Board of Public Education and the Montana University System Board of Regents. She served as Montana’s Lieutenant Governor from 2014 to 2016. McLean earned degrees from Western Montana College, University of Montana and Montana State.

Recasner is currently the interim president of Seattle Central College. She has two decades of experience in community college and public education leadership positions, including serving as an interim president, dean and vice president of instruction, her biography states. Recasner is from New Orleans and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University New Orleans, three master’s degrees from Ohio State and a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati.

Singer serves as the provost and vice president for Academic and Student Affairs at Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania. He has previously held leadership roles at SUNY Sullivan, Golden Gate University in San Francisco, and Thomas Edison State University in New Jersey. Singer’s biography states he has spent most of his academic career working to improve educational options for nontraditional, first-generation, adult, and working learners.

The Board of Trustees will review feedback and continue deliberations as the search process moves toward its next phase, per the release.