Dr. James Linksz To Serve As Interim Montgomery County Community College President

April 27, 2015, Blue Bell/Pottstown/Lansdale, Pa.— Montgomery County Community College’s Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Dr. James J. Linksz has agreed to serve as interim president for Montgomery County Community College (MCCC).

Dr. Linksz had a successful career at Bucks County Community College, where he served for more than 20 years as the institution’s president from 1992-2012. Following his retirement in 2012, Dr. Linksz briefly served as interim CEO of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.

“It is a tremendous accomplishment that the College was able to secure a former community college president to serve during our nationwide search for a new college president,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Michael J. D’Aniello.

Current MCCC President Dr. Karen A. Stout was tapped to serve as the President and CEO of Achieving the Dream, Inc., which works to increase access and improve success at more than 200 member community colleges that serve more than four million community college students nationally.

Board Personnel Committee Chair Richard Montalbano was extremely pleased to secure a highly-respected and experienced community college president from Pennsylvania.

“This will allow the College to advance its goals and mission of increased access and improved student success,” said Montalbano. “We expect Dr. Linksz to be proactive in continuing the goals established by Dr. Stout. He will certainly not be a placeholder.”

Dr. Linksz will spend June in transition with Dr. Stout and will take the helm of MCCC on July 1, 2015.

“Dr. Linksz is an excellent choice. I have a high degree of respect for his work at Bucks. He was a terrific colleague. His understanding of Pennsylvania community colleges is also a significant asset for the College,” said Dr. Stout.

Dr. Linksz earned an A.B. in Art and Architecture from Dartmouth College and a master’s and doctorate in higher and adult education administration from Columbia University. He was also a W.K. Kellogg Doctoral Fellow in Community College Administration.

ArtsQuest Announces Next President & CEO‏

Over the past 30 years, ArtsQuest has been honored to share some huge news with the community, most recently through the development of the SteelStacks arts and cultural campus. Today, we’re excited to share one of the biggest announcements in our history.

This afternoon, we announced that ArtsQuest Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advancement Kassie Hilgert will be named the next President & CEO of ArtsQuest.

Since joining ArtsQuest in 2008, Kassie has demonstrated amazing leadership abilities, an incredible passion for our arts and cultural mission and a thorough understanding of the Lehigh Valley and the many elements that make it so special. Kassie has developed numerous partnerships with local, regional and national corporate partners, community organizations and foundations, helping ArtsQuest greatly expand its arts and cultural programming in recent years. As Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advancement, she is responsible for overseeing the sponsorship, marketing, development, ticketing, public relations and volunteer departments, which include 27 full- and part-time employees dedicated to supporting our mission.

Over the next several months, Kassie will work closely with ArtsQuest Founder and current President Jeff Parks while meeting with ArtsQuest staff, board members, volunteers, sponsors, partners and members of our community. She will officially assume the President & CEO’s responsibilities when Jeff retires in January 2015.

As for Jeff, while he may be retiring after three decades dedicated to arts, culture and our community, he won’t be riding off into the sunset just yet. Starting in May 2015, Jeff will assume the part-time role as the new Executive Director of the ArtsQuest Foundation, the nonprofit foundation established to help ensure the long-term sustainability of our organization as we continue to grow and expand our programming for the region.

I invite you to congratulate Kassie on this great accomplishment when you see her. Under her leadership, along with the support of our dedicated and creative staff, board and volunteers, ArtsQuest will continue be a national leader in providing access to exceptional arts and cultural programs and events.

Joe Pietrantonio
President, ArtsQuest Board of Trustees

Former York City Financial Officer Says Mayor Asked Him To Resign

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

York City’s former top financial officer said the city’s mayor showed up at his house on a Sunday in April and asked for his resignation.

This week, former business administrator Michael O’Rourke said Mayor Kim Bracey did not provide an explanation for the request, and he still does not know the reason.

“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I just want to make a change,'” O’Rourke said.

That contradicts Bracey’s original characterization of the situation.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_25682926/former-york-city-financial-officer-says-mayor-asked

Flying-Car Prototype Goes For Test Flight — And Drive

Map of Plattsburgh city (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Want to watch a car take flight? You are in luck. Terrafugia, makers of Transition — the world’s first flying car — has released video of a production-type prototype flying over Plattsburgh, N.Y. today.

The flight was the first successful test of the two-seat personal aircraft that you can park in your garage, drive on the road and fill up at a gas station.

“This is a very exciting time for Terrafugia,” said Carl Dietrich, the company’s CEO and CTO. “We are on our way up — literally and figuratively!”

The Transition reached an altitude of 1,400 feet during its first test flight, and spent a total of eight minutes in the air, company officials said.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/business/la-fi-tn-flying-car-test-flight-20120402,0,6282324.story