Rachel Johnson leaves NMC board
Jan. 28—TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College's board of trustees is one member short after Rachel Johnson resigned.
The Cherryland Electric Cooperative CEO left the board effective Monday, said Kennard Weaver, another trustee. That was the date of the board's first meeting of 2024.
Johnson in an email said personal reasons were behind her decision and that she'll continue as Cherryland Electric Co-op's CEO.
She called serving on the seven-member NMC board a true privilege and that she was proud of the board's work on access to lifelong learning opportunities.
"I am grateful for the friendships I've made along the way and look forward to continuing those friendships for many years to come," she said. "NMC will always hold a special place in my heart and while my service as a trustee is coming to an end, my commitment to the college remains steadfast."
She was appointed in 2016 to fill a vacancy, reelected in 2020 and served as board chairwoman for a year in 2022, according to previous reports and meeting minutes.
Weaver said it's not uncommon for the board to appoint members to fill vacancies. He figured it's because many trustees serve as long as they can, one six-year term at a time, until they decide to step down (Weaver's own term expires at year's end, and he filed for reelection).
By law, the board has 30 days from Monday to fill vacancies, or the selection goes to the Traverse City Area Public Schools board.
Trustees have a process that Weaver implemented when he chaired the board, he said. Applicants who send a form and letter of interest to the college president's office by 5 p.m. Feb. 6 will meet with the board on Feb. 19. If the board follows the process, each applicant will get five minutes to speak and answer a few questions.
The first candidate to get a majority of votes gets the appointment, Weaver said. Whoever does will also have to seek reelection in November.
"But they'll be running as an incumbent," he said. "That doesn't necessarily get you elected, because the ballot doesn't say, 'incumbent,' on it."
If so, the appointee will be running to keep a seat on a board that doesn't pay its trustees, Weaver said. He said he has paid out-of-pocket to attend state or national conventions despite the college paying some travel costs like food, hotel and airfare.
But Weaver said he doubted that keeps people from applying.
"I think the people who run for the college do it because they think they can do something for the college," he said.
