Valencia College has selected 19 local leaders to help find a replacement for President Sandy Shugart, who plans to retire next year.

The college’s Board of Trustees on Sept. 9 approved the members of its presidential search committee and a timeline for the search process. Shugart, who has led the school since 2000, will retire in June 2021.

Valencia’s first presidential search committee meeting is set to happen on Sept. 18. The group will accept applications from Sept. 24-Oct. 22, and will hold virtual interviews with semifinalists from Nov. 5-11.

Finalist interviews will take place in-person from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4. A presidential candidate is expected to be approved by the trustees in mid-December and an employment contract may be approved in January.

The 19-member presidential search committee includes these local leaders:

• Tracey Stockwell, search committee chair who also is executive vice president and chief financial officer at Universal Orlando; and chair of Valencia College’s trustees
• Bruce Carlson, owner of Imagination Realty Inc.; Valencia College trustee
• Rosene Johnson, president, Central Florida Pace Center for Girls
• Jonni Kimberly, director of human resources, Rosen Hotels & Resorts; Valencia College Foundation board member
• Raymer Maguire, attorney, Maguire Lassman PA
• Maritza Martinez, assistant vice president of community affairs, University of Central Florida
• Ed Moore, former president, Osceola Education Foundation
• Emmy Torres, program manager, Wiley Educational Services

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The committee also includes these Valencia employees and a current student:

• Loren Bender, vice president of business operations and finance
• Roberta Carew, math professor
• Carl Creasman, history professor
• Deidre Holmes DuBois, speech professor
• Sheila Levi, humanities professor
• Nicolas Navarro Castellanos, instructional lab supervisor
• Linda Neal, dean of communications
• Esther Perceval, student
• Stanton Reed, accounting professor and Faculty Association interim president
• Dan Smith, assistant director of advising
• Lauren Thomas, math professor

The trustees also chose Washington, D.C.-based AGB Search as the search firm to help the presidential search committee. The search will have a total budget of $128,000, including $88,000 for the search firm.

“This is the right board to make this decision, I have the utmost trust in you,” Shugart said during the meeting.