MCC Board of Trustees names new president-designate

MACOMB COUNTY — Lori M. Gonko, Ed.D., the current interim president at Henry Ford College, was chosen to become the new president of Macomb Community College.

During a Macomb Community College Board of Trustees meeting March 18, the board voted 6-1 to approve the appointment of Gonko. Trustee Joan Flynn voted against the measure.

Gonko is the first female president-designate for Macomb.

According to school officials, Gonko also 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 College Excellence Program’s Rising Presidents Fellowship. 

Katherine Bracey Lorenzo, chair of the college’s board and of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, announced Gonko as Macomb’s next president pending negotiation and approval of a contract. The Board of Trustees anticipates considering a proposed contract at its April 15 meeting.

“Dr. Gonko has demonstrated the skills, abilities, enthusiasm and vision to lead Macomb Community College well into the future,” Lorenzo said in a prepared statement. “She began and developed her passion for the work of community colleges here at Macomb and, eventually, that passion influenced her doctoral work in community college leadership and as an Aspen Fellow, both highly sought after credentials in a college president. Coming full circle, Dr. Gonko has come ‘home’ to lead the institution that profoundly influenced her career path. She brings a wealth of experience and perspectives that will greatly benefit the college, our students and our community.”

According to Macomb officials, Gonko will officially step into the role of Macomb president on July 1. She has 25 years of community college experience. She began working at Macomb in 2001 as an administrative assistant. She eventually became a coordinator and then manager in career and technical education while at Macomb.   

In 2012, she joined Henry Ford College as the Perkins Grant coordinator before becoming coordinator of program improvement and effectiveness. She was then named vice president of strategy and human resources in 2018. She has served as the college’s interim president since July 2025.

The 14-member Presidential Search Advisory Committee included representatives from the college’s board, employee groups and students, and members of community partner organizations. The committee recently narrowed the field down to three candidates.

Elizabeth (Libby) Argiri, MBA, CPA, executive vice president-administration, Macomb Community College, and Charles W. Lepper, Ph.D., former president, Grand Rapids Community College were the other two candidates vying for the position.

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. A national search began in November to find the next president to lead Macomb.