Dr. Gregory T. Busch, President

Dr. Gregg Busch comes with nearly 40 years’ experience as a chief executive officer in the private, public, nonprofit sectors and, with more than 20 years, in higher education leadership and administration.  He is a community college alum and a scholar, researcher, author, a seasoned culturally-inclusive community college leader, and recognized local, state, national, and international authority on student success, access, and community college leadership. Throughout his community college experience he has served as an adjunct instructor, full time assistant professor (recognized three times as Professor of the Year, twice recipient of Distinguished Professorships, and ranked among the top 2000 professors worldwide by Cambridge University), discipline coordinator, program coordinator, dean of academic and student affairs (two institutions), lead for accreditation and strategic enrollment management, chief diversity officer (three institutions), dean for articulation and transfer, dean of the honors college (two institutions), chief academic officer, vice president for instruction, vice president for dual enrollment, vice president for guided pathways, and an elected member of the board of trustees of a community college.  He is a national leader of educational reform having led statewide initiatives to improve student success, access, reduce student debt, and close the equity gap for minority students.  He currently serves on the adjunct faculty for St. Leo University instructing doctoral candidates in doctoral program for higher education and administration, guiding research for doctoral candidates in writing dissertations, and building upon the contemporary literature of issues facing higher education and community colleges in particular.  He is the co-founder, chief operating officer, and senior consultant of The Busch Professional Group, LLC and has consulted with numerous colleges on improving student success and a variety of issues facing higher education today.

He is originally from a very rural community, much like Tucumcari, in West Virginia and has focused much of his research and publications on leadership of rural community colleges.  He was a former Vice President at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona and experienced with minority-serving institutions, especially Hispanic-serving institutions.  In addition to his leadership on the PCC West Campus, he was responsible for college wide implementation of guided pathways, expansion of high school partnerships, and development of concurrent enrollment.  On the PCC West Campus, he oversaw the Centers of Excellence for Fine Arts, Nursing, Allied Health, and Athletics.  Prior to arriving at Pima, he served six years as an academic dean and dean of the honors college at North Central State College in Mansfield, Ohio where he also served as the campus diversity officer and assisted in the development of on-campus housing for community college students. He served three years as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Washington State Community College in Marietta, Ohio where he received national recognition for his college-wide leadership of assessment and accreditation.   He is a 2020 and 2021 nominee for the Global Top 100 Leaders in Education Award from the Global Forum for Education and Learning and the recipient of the national award for Teaching and Leadership Excellence from NISOD.

He was the founding State Team Lead for Educational Reform through Complete College America (where is also a national student success content expert) for Arizona and worked with government leaders along more than 20 college and university leaders to improve success for more than 400,000 Arizona students.  He has a long history of working with government leaders at all levels and twice represented community colleges with Congress in Washington, DC to improve STEM opportunities for women and girls and to help shape the congressional agenda for community college education.  He is also a member of the Peer Review Corps of The Higher Learning Commission which is responsible for the regional accreditation of Mesalands Community College.

He has spoken at various state, regional, and national leadership and higher education conferences developed and published the Community Capitals Framework for Improving Student Success, a model growing in popularity for colleges to more fully integrate resources with a proven result of increased student success and a 3-D Model for Rapid Implementation of Project Management.  He holds a Master of Science degree from West Virginia University, School of Medicine, where he also specialized in epidemiology, pandemic studies, and crisis management.  He has additional post graduate studies in Sociology and Clinical Psychology from Marshall University Graduate College and a Doctor of Education from West Virginia University in Higher Education Administration and Leadership.  

His wife, Mary Beth, is his high school sweetheart and a consultant and former community college dean and vice president for workforce and economic development and a statewide leader of workforce development in both Ohio and West Virginia.  He is the proud father of Nicholas, a tenured community college political science professor, and Grace Faulkner, a coordinator of infectious disease and epidemiology.  But of all of his experience, he still claims that he is most proud to Pap to his three grandchildren, Max and Harper Busch and Althea Faulkner.

Ms. Natalie Gillard, Vice President of Academic Affairs 

Ms. Natalie Gillard, Vice President of Academic Affairs

Ms. Natalie Gillard became the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Mesalands Community College in July 2010. Prior to serving as the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Ms. Gillard served as the Associate Dean of Instructional and Administrative Services for four years. Before that Ms. Gillard began her tenure at the College serving as the Business Administration Lead Faculty Member and the Division Chair of Arts and Sciences for twelve years.

In addition to Academic Affairs, Ms. Gillard has been actively involved in all aspects of the College, with a primary focus on the regional accreditation process with the Higher Learning Commission from candidacy to reaffirmation.  Ms. Gillard has been working in higher education since 1994.  Ms. Gillard earned both her M.B.A. and B.B.A. from East Texas State University now known as Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Ms. Gillard’s responsibilities include:

• Library and Tutoring
• Academic Divisions (Faculty and Chairs)
• Dual Enrollment
• Distance Learning
• Articulation and Transfer, Course Alignment

In addition to these tasks, each area is charged with expanding our services to students which will lead to greater success and access for our students and also bring Mesalands to a competitive level with other community colleges of which already offer these services. These include, but are not limited to:

• Competency-based learning
• Prior Learning Assessment
• Accreditation and Certification for Dual Enrollment and Distance Learning, respectively
• Creation of a Center for Teaching and Learning innovation to provide resources and training for faculty ato integrate the most up-to-date methodologies of instruction and technology in their service to students
• Development of an Honors College to attract, retain, and support students of excellence
• Development of a Faculty Ranking System

Dr. Aaron Kennedy, Vice President of Student Affairs 

Dr. Aaron Kennedy, Vice President of Student Affairs

Dr. Aaron Kennedy became the Vice President of Student Affairs at Mesalands Community College in July of 2007. The Student Affairs area is comprised of Enrollment Management, Recruiting, Student Activities, Student Clubs and Organizations, and other student-related areas. As a member of the Executive Team, Dr. Kennedy has responsibilities across the campus, and is involved in many campus-wide committees and projects. Dr. Kennedy earned his Ph.D., Master’s, and Bachelor’s from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, and has been working in higher education since 1992.

Dr. Kennedy’s Responsibilities include:

• Student Housing
• International Studies
• Student Life
• Student Support Services
• Student Government 
• Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity

In addition to these tasks, each area is charged with expanding our services to students which will lead to greater success and access for our students and also bring Mesalands to a competitive level with other community colleges of which already offer these services. These include, but are not limited to:

• Student Health Services
• Study Abroad and International Education
• Application for two US Department of Education TRiO grants to support student success for minority, low-income, and first-generation students and, the second, an Upward Bound Grant to support veterans
• Management of the COVID Emergency Relief Fund
• Development of a food and clothing bank for students
• Developing a partnership with the community for quality childcare for students
• Targeted additional support for non-traditional students and first-generation students
• Development of Hispanic Cultural Affairs

Mr. Jim Morgan, Vice President of Campus Affairs and External Relations

Mr. Morgan’s general responsibilities include:

• Institutional Technology
• Facilities, Grounds, and maintenance
• Business Office
• Grants Management and Capital Procurement
• Human Resources
• Auxiliary Enterprises

In addition to these tasks, each area is charged with expanding our services to students which will lead to greater success and access for our students and also bring Mesalands to a competitive level with other community colleges of which already offer these services. These include, but are not limited to:

• Development of Program Advisory Committees with Community Partners
• Campus Safety and Security
• Auxiliary Enterprises

Dr. Hazel Rountree, Vice President of Student Success and Access, Diversity and Equity, and Institutional Effectiveness

Dr. Rountree became Vice President in June 2021. Dr. Rountree comes with thirty years’ experience in higher education. She earned her law degree from the University of Dayton.  Her responsibilities include diversity, equity, institutional effectiveness, and above all, student success. Dr. Rountree began her education at Sinclair Community College as a first generation college student. She has experience at all levels of Higher Education: faculty member, student activities, and administration. She was the Assistant Director of Affirmative Action Programs at Wright State University. She has been involved in Civil Rights law, the founding President/CEO of Wright Computer Connection, and an experienced CFO in Higher Education.

Her educational foundation has always been putting students first. “One of the great benefits of coming to a community college, we are able to meet students wherever they are and help them discover their potential and empower them to achieve their desired goals.” Dr. Rountree stated.

Dr. Hazel was hired as the CFO, however with her experience and qualifications gained the Vice President position. Her responsibilities include:

• Chief Financial Officer
• Institutional Review Board
• Program and Services Review
• Program and Service Assessment
• Institutional Research
• Registrar
• Accreditation
• Retention and Persistence

In addition to these tasks, each area is charged with expanding our services to students which will lead to greater success and access for our students and also bring Mesalands to a competitive level with other community colleges of which already offer these services. These include, but are not limited to:

• Travel Management System
• Student Success and provides central leadership for implementation of Guided Pathways – student success initiatives
• Leads horizontally across the matrix structure to improve communication and collaboration on the three mission goals and prevents the development of vertical silos

Mr. Josh McVey, Vice President of Public Relations, Student Transfer Services, and Strategic Enrollment Management

Mr. Josh McVey became Vice President in June of 2021. He previously served as Faculty, Web Specialist, Director of Public Relations, and most recently Chief Marketing Officer. Josh earned his MA in Communication from Eastern New Mexico University.

Mr. McVey has spent his professional career working in the private and public sectors as Marketing Manager and Director. His corporate experiences include Comcast, Spectacor, and Sodexo Int.

In addition to his marketing experience Mr. McVey has written two books and contributed a chapter in a Humanities textbook published by Nova Science edited by Dr. Shaughnessy (Humanities: Past, Present, and Future). He hosts and produces a podcast called “Here Am I”. Mr. McVey earned his undergraduate degree in Biblical Literature from Ozark Christian College. He has chaired multiple community boards on marketing. His work has encompassed many different venues and marketing opportunities. He has led conventions at the state level and presided over several conferences. 

Mr. McVey’s responsibilities include marketing and public relations encompassing all the tasks therein.

• Internal Communication
• Internal Website development (my.mesalands.edu)
• External Website (mesalands.edu)
• JPUG
• Emergency Communication
• Communication Process Mapping
• Press Releases
• Community Involvement
• Fall Rodeo
• Social Media Marketing
• Prospective Student Data Capture
• Promotional Materials
• Publications
• Sponsorships
• State Collaboration
• Media
• Faculty and Staff Presentations
• Brand Identity
• Institutional Policies

In addition to these tasks, he has been charged with expanding the College’s services to students which will lead to greater success and access for our students. These include but are not limited to:

• Development of a Student Transfer Center
• Leads campus-wide process mapping to assure continuous quality improvement
• Webmaster
• Financial Aid
• Recruiting
• Career Placement
• Strategic Enrollment management utilizing an enrollment pipeline model to move students from pre-prospects to enrolled
• College brand enforcement