LWIT Names Woodall Named Finalist for New President

Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) said in a press release its board of trustees has chosen Dr. David Woodall as finalist for president of the college. the board will invite the public to ask questions of Woodall at forums planned for next Thursday, Oct. 27.

Woodall was unanimously chosen by the board at its Oct. 10 meeting. Woodall’s selection as the finalist nearly completes a year-long process which involved participation from college students, employees and community members.

“Throughout the selection process, the board gathered input from the college and surrounding community regarding the qualities they sought in the college's president,” said Bruce J. Reid, chair of the LWIT Board of Trustees. “The board believes Dr. Woodall embodies those qualities expressed by the community and his qualifications fit with both the school’s mission and the board’s vision.”

The final step toward approving the presidential candidate includes gathering input from students, staff and the community. The board will hold public forums on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the college’s West Building, Room W404. These forums are open to anyone interested in learning more about Dr. Woodall and offers the opportunity to pose questions.

Dr. Woodall has served as the college’s interim president since January 2011, when Dr. Sharon McGavick retired. Prior to coming to the LWIT, Dr. Woodall served in a number of senior leadership positions at the Oregon Institute of Technology including interim president. Dr. Woodall has also served in teaching and leadership positions in the engineering and mathematics programs at the University of Alaska – Fairbanks, the University of Idaho, and the University of New Mexico. Dr. Woodall has a Doctorate in Applied Physics from Cornell University, and a Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from Columbia University.

“This is a wonderful college with a fantastic future and I’m pleased to be selected as a candidate to lead the institute,” Dr. Woodall said. “The next five years are critical for both the state and region. While there are funding challenges today, our region is growing and there is a strong demand for a technologically skilled workforce. LWIT provides an impressive range of cutting-edge technology training. We must remain agile and prepared to meet specific and general workforce demand as the economy grows.”

The release says the board hopes to review input and finalize the selection process not later than November 2011.

Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT), formerly Lake Washington Technical College, is a broad-based polytechnic college offering instruction in 36 programs toward a spectrum of more than 100 bachelor and associate level degrees. For information and news about LWIT programs, please visit lwtech.edu/press_room or follow LWIT on Facebook at facebook.com/LWITech and Twitter at twitter.com/LWITech.