PENDLETON — If everything goes according to plan, Blue Mountain Community College will have a new president by July.

At a Wednesday, April 7, meeting, the BMCC Board of Education approved a timeline to replace former President Dennis Bailey-Fougnier. Citing his health, Bailey-Fougnier resigned in February after a little less than two years on the job. The board subsequently appointed former Tillamook Bay Community College President Connie Green as the interim president.

BMCC is hiring Gold Hill Associates for $29,000 to help conduct the search. Gold Hill, which has conducted presidential searches for BMCC in the past, has conducted more than 150 searches for community colleges in 26 states, including work for 11 colleges in Oregon.

From April 15 to May 21, Gold Hill will begin their recruitment process as the position is advertised online and in various publications. After a BMCC search committee reviews applications, the committee will hold a first round of interviews in late May and early June.

On June 3, the committee will select finalists, who will travel to Pendleton for on-campus interviews from June 7-9. The board is then expected to spend June and July selecting a final candidate, negotiating a contract and announcing their decision to the public.

Jane Hill, the chair of the board, said BMCC designed the process to involve as many different stakeholders as possible.

“I feel like this is a robust public process,” she said.

Hill said the search committee is sending out a survey to stakeholders asking them what kind of qualities they want to see in the next president. And once finalists are chosen, she said BMCC will host a series of public forums so that locals have a chance to give their input.

Three seats on the BMCC board are up for election in May, and with board members Heidi Van Kirk and Tony Turner retiring, there will be at least two new members on the board once they take office in July.

Although the board will choose a new president around the same time it’s welcoming new members, Hill said she’s confident BMCC’s process will lead to a fair outcome and a smooth transition.