Kenai Peninsula College is undergoing a temporary change in leadership following the retirement of University of Alaska Anchorage Chancellor Sean Parnell this month. KPC Director Cheryl Siemers has stepped in as interim UAA chancellor and officially took on her new role on May 17. Former Kachemak Bay Campus director Reid Brewer was appointed the interim KPC director on Wednesday and is slated to step into his new role starting June 9.
Parnell, who was appointed chancellor by UA President Pat Pitney in 2021, announced in January his intent to retire at the conclusion of the spring 2025 semester. During his tenure, a Jan. 24 press release states, Parnell “emphasized UAA’s role as a key educator of Alaska’s workforce” and worked to maintain affordability and accessibility for students. Upon his retirement, he plans to spend more time with family and friends as well as research, write and “continue coaching and teaching emerging leaders.”
Siemers’ appointment as interim chancellor was announced in an April press release by Pitney, who noted that Siemers “has excellent leadership experience, understands and clearly articulates UAA’s dual-mission, and has led enrollment growth at KPC.”
Siemers has worked for UAA and KPC for over 20 years, starting out as an adjunct and later full-time faculty member before becoming the assistant KPC director and, finally, campus director.
“I’m proud of the institution from an alumni perspective,” she said during an interview on May 7. “I am honored to have been considered and chosen for the role of interim chancellor at UAA.”
Her experience working at KPC as part of UAA has taught her a lot about the “interworkings” of the university itself, she said, and has provided her with a diversity of experiences both within UAA and at the statewide university level that will be beneficial to her fulfilling the interim chancellor role.
Siemers is currently slated to serve as interim chancellor through the fall 2025 semester “if needed,” based on the search process for a permanent chancellor, and said she hopes her experience in the UA system will help during this transition period.
The Chancellor Search Committee was officially formed in April to conduct a national recruitment process.
“I’m confident in this transition happening here because of KPC’s emphasis on being community engaged and championing a student-first approach,” Siemers said. “That will remain a priority as we go into the next academic year.”
Parnell announced Wednesday that former KBC director Reid Brewer has been appointed as interim KPC director in Siemers’ absence. Current KBC director Brian Partridge will serve as acting KPC director starting May 17 through June 9, when Brewer officially moves into his new role.
Brewer also has more than 20 years of experience working within the UA system, as both a faculty member and an administrator across all three university institutions.
“We appreciate Director Partridge stepping forward in this way to undertake the role of Acting KPC Director during the transition,” Parnell wrote in Wednesday’s press release. “As the new Interim Director of KPC, Brewer aims to build on the strong community connections established by Cheryl Siemers, and he is committed to enhancing the campus’s service to the Kenai Peninsula.”
