Macomb to interview three candidates for college presidency

MACOMB COUNTY — A national search began in November to find the next president to lead Macomb Community College.

On Feb. 24, Katherine Bracey Lorenzo, chair of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee and also of the Macomb Community College Board of Trustees, announced that the committee has referred three candidates to be interviewed by the college’s board. 

The 14-member committee included representatives from the college’s board, employee groups and students, and members of community partner organizations. 

The three finalists referred for the board’s consideration are: 

• Elizabeth (Libby) Argiri, MBA, CPA, executive vice president-administration, Macomb Community College.

• Lori M. Gonko, Ed.D., interim president, Henry Ford College.

• Charles W. Lepper, Ph.D., former president, Grand Rapids Community College.

Argiri, who joined the college as director of financial services in 2001, has more than 20 years of executive leadership experience at Macomb. She has led a broad range of administrative and operational areas, including finance, budget, grants, facilities and construction, financial aid, information technology, purchasing, health and workplace safety. Argiri also has worked in  human resources, conference and event services, and risk management. 

Argiri serves on the boards of Leadership Macomb and Connect Macomb, and is a task force member for Macomb County’s Blue Economy Initiative; treasurer and audit committee chair for Michigan Schools and Government Credit Union; and chair of the Michigan Community College Risk Management Authority.

Her interview with the Board of Trustees is scheduled for March 3.

Gonko has 25 years of community college experience. She joined Henry Ford College in 2012 as the Perkins Grant coordinator before becoming coordinator of program improvement and effectiveness, and then was named vice president of strategy and human resources in 2018. 

Gonko began her career at Macomb where she worked from 2001 to 2012, starting as an administrative assistant before becoming a coordinator and then manager in career and technical education. Gonko serves as an adjunct professor in the Doctorate in Community College Leadership program at Ferris State University and is a graduate of the Aspen Institute Excellence Program’s Rising Presidents Fellowship. 

Gonko’s interview is set for March 4.

Lepper has more than 27 years of experience as a higher education leader, most recently as president and CEO of Grand Rapids Community College from 2023 to 2025. The multicampus institution serves approximately 20,000 credit and noncredit students annually. Lepper partnered with an elected board of trustees, oversaw a $130-plus million operating budget, and provided leadership across academic programs, workforce development, enrollment growth and student support services.

Previously, Lepper held senior leadership roles at Salt Lake, Tidewater and Ivy Tech community colleges, handling student affairs, enrollment, faculty development and accreditation. He also taught as an adjunct instructor at multiple organizations. Lepper’s leadership philosophy emphasizes collaboration, transparency, accountability and shared governance, grounded in data-informed decision-making. 

Lepper’s interview will be March 5. 

The Board of Trustees interviews will be conducted at 7 p.m. all three evenings on the Center Campus, 44575 Garfield Road in Clinton Township. The interviews will be at the University Center, UC 1, in Lecture Hall B.

Candidate forums open to faculty, staff, students and community members also will be conducted on the day of each candidate’s interview at 9:30 a.m. on the South Campus, located at 14500 E. 12 Mile Road in Warren. The forums will be held inside room No. 324 in the John Lewis Student Community Center, which is K Building. The candidates will give a brief introduction of themselves and  community members can ask questions. 

Current President James O. Sawyer IV, who has been president since July 1, 2017, will retire June 30, 2026. He announced his retirement last fall. 

Call Staff Writer Maria Allard at (586) 498-1045.