Fills post held by Doug McDermott
The newest member of the Iowa Central Community College board of directors is no stranger to the Iowa Central organization. Mike Richards of Jefferson was elected to the board in November and will represent District 9, which includes Greene County.
A native of Lohrville, Richards grew up in rural Calhoun County and graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a bachelor of science degree in agricultural education. He worked in seed sales for many years until joining the Iowa Central faculty as an associate instructor in the agriculture technology department in 2008. During his tenure at Iowa Central, Richards was instrumental in enhancing GPS course offerings and incorporating new technology in the classroom. He retired from the faculty in May of 2022 and is employed as a land manager for Home State Bank in Jefferson.
“I am a big believer in Iowa Central and the community college system,” said Richards. “I spent 14 great years as an instructor and my Iowa Central experience was such a positive one that I wanted to find a way to remain involved and support them in any way needed.”
Richards said one of Iowa Central’s greatest attributes is offering a first-class college experience with excellent academic preparation, along with state-of-the-art facilities and multiple extra-curriculars.
“Iowa Central offers a great opportunity to receive higher education that will transfer,” he said. “A huge selling point for Iowa Central is that they have an excellent relationship with four-year colleges and universities.”
A proponent of earning early college credit, Richards taught courses at the Greene County Career Academy for two years and hopes to continue to promote the growth of Iowa Central’s three career academies.
“I am a big supporter of what the career academy offers to students,” said Richards. “It allows students to be involved in their high schools while also earning college credit.”
Richards has remained an active part of the career academy, serving on its advisory board and helping to recruit quality instructors as well as offering demonstrations in the classroom.
“I still have that desire in me to help out and teach whenever I can,” he said.
As a former member of the faculty, Richards said he hopes to use that experience to bring a unique viewpoint to the board of directors.
“It is interesting the number of things that are happening behind the scenes; seeing what all it entails, both academically and financially, has been interesting. I feel that I can bring a different perspective to the board as a former instructor and very much look forward to representing District 9,” he said.
Richards takes the place of Doug McDermott of Jefferson, who retired from the board at the end of 2023. McDermott served on the Iowa Central board of directors for 22 years.
“I was privileged to serve with great board members during my time,” said McDermott. “While on the board we had a strong leader in Mark Crimmins. I served with three presidents during my time on the board; they all have led the college with the students’ best interests in mind. I am proud that we put a Career Academy in Jefferson for the benefit of our surrounding communities. My replacement Mike Richards will add knowledge and expertise to the board.”
