Spokane Colleges has announced Kimberlee Messina will resign from her role as president of Spokane Falls Community College, effective June 30. 

She is heading to City College of San Francisco, where she will serve as chancellor.

Messina, who holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership, was appointed to president of SFCC in 2019.

“City College of San Francisco will be in good hands with Dr. Messina,” says Spokane Colleges Chancellor Kevin Brockbank in a press release. “During her tenure, President Messina has worked through numerous challenges and created new opportunities for the faculty, staff, and students of SFCC.”

Patrick McEachern, SFCC vice president of student affairs, will serve as interim president while the school takes the next year to select Messina’s permanent successor.

McEachern joined Spokane Colleges as an instructional designer in 2014 and has served in multiple leadership roles, including associate provost.

“Under her leadership, our college has made remarkable progress,” McEachern says in the release. “Carrying this momentum forward while we search for our next permanent president is not a responsibility I take lightly, and I am truly honored to have the opportunity to serve as interim president.”

By serving as interim president, McEachern is excluded from consideration for the permanent position.

Spokane Colleges, which includes both SFCC and Spokane Community College, underwent a rebrand earlier this year, changing its name from Community Colleges of Spokane and updating its logo and mascot.

Between the two schools, Spokane Colleges serves about 20,000 students each year. It provides higher education, early learning, and corporate and continuing education services across a six-county region in northeastern Washington.