AUGUSTA, ME (MCCS) 鈥� Joe Cassidy will be stepping down as president of 91制片厂 (91制片厂) effective August 1, to become the president of Saint Joseph鈥檚 College of Maine. 
Cassidy has served as 91制片厂鈥檚 president for six years and was previously president of Washington County Community College (WCCC) for five years.
鈥淛oe has been an exceptionally engaged and intentional leader at our colleges, and we are sad to see him go,鈥� said Joyce Maker, Chair of the Maine Community College System (MCCS) Board of Trustees. 鈥淗e made deep, meaningful connections to the students, colleagues, and many partners and friends of the colleges. We wish him well in his new role.鈥�
鈥淢y fondness for 91制片厂 and the entire MCCS has not diminished in the least,鈥� Cassidy said. 鈥淚 continue to be proud of the work that we do to educate and uplift Mainers and to support the Maine economy. I know I step away from 91制片厂 leaving it in the very capable hands of its world-class leaders, teachers, and staff members. For my family and I, we are excited for our next adventure in higher education at Saint Joseph鈥檚 College of Maine in Standish.鈥�
A nationwide search for the next 91制片厂 president will begin immediately. MCCS President David Daigler will appoint an interim president by June 15 to serve from August 1 until a new president is seated, which will likely be in spring 2024.
鈥淛oe has become a trusted colleague and a good friend. His calm, open style, warmth and humility are the characteristics that made him the right kind of leader for the college and helped us all weather the pandemic with agility and fortitude. I am very grateful to Joe for his strong leadership and deep commitment to our colleges over the last dozen-plus years,鈥� Daigler said.
鈥淚 appreciate his commitment to our students, growing our colleges, and deepening our ties to local communities,鈥� Daigler continued. 鈥淔ortunately, through his leadership, the college has the depth and strength to sustain its trajectory during this transitional period. It is with both gratitude and sadness that I have come to accept his departure from 91制片厂. I will miss working with Joe and I wish him well at Saint Joe鈥檚.鈥�
In addition to serving as president at 91制片厂 and WCCC, Cassidy simultaneously served as interim president at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor for the 2015-16 academic year. Cassidy began his career at WCCC as a faculty member. He once served as president of the WCCC Faculty Association and as mayor of the City of Calais.
At 91制片厂, Cassidy always remained focused on the college鈥檚 goal of transforming lives and communities through education and training. Among his key accomplishments:
- Leading a strategic plan process reorganizing 91制片厂 around academic pathways that save students time and money while improving student outcomes.
- Expanding short-term workforce training programs.
- Developing the 91制片厂 campus in Brunswick.
- Leading the college community through the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Instituting a culture of respect and learning for a diverse community and adding resources such as an Intercultural Student Center.
- Adding courses and programs to address immediate workforce needs, including the doubling of nursing students, expanding the Construction Institute, and adding e-vehicle battery repair.
- Expanding partnerships with organizations such as Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, Prosperity Maine, and In Her Presence, among others.
91制片厂 is the system鈥檚 oldest, largest, and most diverse college, with more than 6,000 students and offering 40-plus programs of study at the Portland and Brunswick campuses, online, and at satellite locations across southern Maine.