Officials with Lone Star College System announced Oct. 29 that three finalists have been chosen in the search for the next president of the LSC-CyFair campus.

The chosen candidate will replace Audre Levy, who served as president of LSC-CyFair since 2009. Levy retired in October after serving more than 40 years in education.

“I have loved my tenure with Lone Star College and the opportunity I have had to work with the outstanding faculty, staff, administration and students at CyFair,” she said.

Deana Sheppard, who most recently served as vice president of instruction at LSC-CyFair, will act as interim president until a new president is selected.

In May, an official search advisory committee was formed to help streamline the selection process. Lee Ann Nutt, president of LSC-Tomball, chairs the committee.

In late October the committee interviewed 8 semi-finalists before selecting the 3 finalists—Seelpa Keshvala, Karen Clos and Stephen Schoonmaker.

With construction beginning on bond projects this fall and greater focus being placed on workforce programs at LSC-CyFair, Chancellor Steve Head said picking the right person for the job is crucial.

“The search advisory committee did an excellent job of reviewing applications, selecting and interviewing eight semi-finalists, and recommending three talented finalists to interview,” Head said in a written statement.

The following applicants have been selected as finalists:

Seelpa Keshvala
Keshvala serves as the president of the Warsaw Campus of Ivy Tech Community College in Warsaw, Indiana. She has been president since March 2014 and previously served as the school’s vice chancellor and executive dean.

Prior to her tenure at Ivy Tech, Keshvala was the executive director of the Educational Opportunity Fund Program and Recruitment at Burlington County College in Pemberton, New Jersey.

Karen Clos
Since 2012, Clos has served as chief advancement officer and executive director of the Foundation Board and Alumni Association Board at Texas A&M University-Central Texas. From 2008-2011, Clos was president of the Community College of Denver in Colorado.

Stephen Schoonmaker
Schoonmaker has served as the president of the College of the Ouachitas in Arkansas since January 2012.

He previously served as the vice president for instruction for Clatsop Community College in Oregon, vice president for instruction and student services at Southwestern Oregon Community College and associate dean of Arts and Sciences at Central New Mexico Community College.

In November each finalist will participate in two open forums at the LSC-CyFair College Center according to the following schedule.

Nov. 9
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Seelpa Keshvala meets with students and staff
2:30-3:30 p.m.
Seelpa Keshvala meets with faculty

Nov. 16
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Karen Clos meets with students and staff
2:30-3:30 p.m.
Karen Clos meets with faculty

Nov. 17
1:45-2:45 p.m.
Stephen Schoonmaker meets with students and staff
3-4 p.m.
Stephen Schoonmaker meets with faculty

The new president is expected to be introduced at the Dec. 3 LSCS board meeting and will begin work Jan. 1, officials said.