P. Mark Ghan named acting president of Western Nevada College

The Board of Regents has officially appointed P. Mark Ghan as acting president of Western Nevada College.

The board made the decision Thursday, simultaneously deciding to conduct a national search for the college’s next president. That decision effectively means Ghan will not be in the running for the permanent position.

“WNC has made incredible strides forward under the leadership of former president Chet Burton and will continue to do so with Mark during this transition period,” said system Chancellor Thom Reilly.

Those decisions come after a Sept. 18 public forum at WNC during which a number of faculty urged regents to conduct a national search rather than simply select someone from within the college or the Nevada System of Higher Education.

The next step in the process will be the appointment of an ad hoc presidential search committee by board chairman Kevin Page.

“This is an exciting time for the college as it contributes to meeting the growing workforce demands of companies like Tesla, Panasonic, Switch, Click Bond, GE and others,” said Ghan.

Burton left to become chief financial officer for the Nevada System of Higher Education. Ghan has been interim president since Burton left. Prior to that, Ghan was the college’s vice president for administrative services and general counsel. Before that, he was vice president for human resources and general counsel to not only WNC but Great Basin College, Truckee Meadows Community College and the Desert Research Institute. He has a law degree from the University of Santa Clara.