Presidents make mark on BC3
Since Butler County Community College opened in 1966, it has had eight presidents. Here is a snapshot of what they did before they came to the college:
1965 to 1969Before James Lawson became the first president of the college, he was the assistant superintendent of the Bethpage Long Island schools. He also had served as an administrator in the Butler School District as the coordinator of adult education.He was also largely responsible for the creation of the Butler County Education Business Industry Committee, which ultimately played a part in the establishment of the college.<br></br><br></br>
1970 to 1985Thomas Ten Hoeve served as academic dean at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. He started at Northwestern as a biology instructor.He also served as acting president for six months.<br></br><br></br>
1986 to 1988Frederick Woodward was acting president from 1983 to 1984 and vice president and dean of academic affairs at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y., before coming to BC3. He also served as dean of professional studies at the State University of New York at Plattsburg.<br></br><br></br>
1989 to 1990William Price served four years as an officer in the Marines. He was stationed in Southeast Asia and did a tour in Vietnam.He married Susan Callis before moving to California. He had two children, Melissa and George.He was the chief executive officer at Lexington Community College in Kentucky. He also served as an academic dean at Henderson Community College and dean of instruction at Honolulu Community College in Hawaii.<br></br><br></br>
1991 to 1993Thad Penar served in various offices at Grove City College between 1953 and 1990.He began his career in education in 1946 after leaving the military. He taught at Butler High School for five years before he went to Grove City.<br></br><br></br>
1994 to 2002Fred Bartok was executive dean of the North Campus and vice president at Community College of Allegheny County from 1985 to 1994. He served at the Boyce Campus of CCAC in various positions since 1975. Bartok's first position after graduating with a bachelor's from University of Pittsburgh was with Mellon National Bank.<br></br><br></br>
2002 to presentWhen Cynthia Azari accepted the presidency of BC3, she became the first female and first Mexican-American to hold the position.Azari came from Olympic College in Bremerton, Wash., where she was vice president of instruction. She also had also been an associate dean, serving at the college for 11 years.
