Kodiak College is getting closer to naming its next director after narrowing the applicant pool down to three finalists. Each of the three candidates have at least a decade of experience in higher education and will all be visiting Kodiak from the Lower 48 this week.
The college’s most recent director, Jacelyn Keys, transitioned to her new job with the University of Alaska Anchorage last month after six years with Kodiak College. Since Key’s departure, Jackie Cason, an English professor with more than two decades of experience at UAA, has been leading the college as interim director.
Now Kodiak College’s director search committee is considering three finalists to oversee all campus operations going forward. They are:
Matthew Hisrich– the data and program operations coordinator at a small liberal arts college in Ohio, where he and his family currently live. Hiram College has less than 800 students enrolled according to the school’s website.
Before that he was the dean and vice president of the Earlham School of Religion, from 2019 to 2020 in Richmond, Indiana and has roughly ten years of experience in leading college programs. Hisrich also used to own and operate a retail store in Canton, Ohio called Quonset Hut before selling it in 2025.
Sam Hirt – the interim provost at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Virginia. He has worked and taught at the liberal arts college for Latter-day Saints for the last decade. Prior to that he was an online and visiting instructor at various universities for several years. Hirt was born and raised in Fairbanks and graduated from Barrow High School according to his candidate bio.
And Erik Fortune – the assistant vice president of administration at a state community college in New York. He’s taught and worked at the SUNY Westchester Community College for the last 11 years. Prior to that, he was a budget analyst for multiple years in Maryland and Washington D.C.
All three finalists will be in Kodiak this week to participate in community forums. The one-hour forums will be held at the college’s Campus Center from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. June 23 - June 25.
