Jefferson College officials have promoted Brenna Young to the position of interim director of the Arnold campus at 1687 Missouri State Road.
She had been the college’s coordinator of retention services and is replacing Holly Lincoln, who left the director job for a teaching position at the Fox C-6 School district.
The Jefferson College Board of Trustees voted 5-0 Aug. 3 to approve Young’s promotion. Board member Steve Meinberg was absent from the meeting.
Lincoln submitted a letter of resignation on June 7 to Kimberly Harvey-Manus, the college’s vice president of student services, and the board voted unanimously June 8 to accept her resignation.
Harvey-Manus said college administrators, including President Dena McCaffrey, named Young as the Arnold campus interim director the week of June 12, and she started the new job on Aug. 1.
“We made the decision to appoint (Young) to the position,” Harvey-Manus said. “As far as the search process and our decision to promote within – given the current labor market and the college experiencing difficulty filling positions – we were fortunate to identify a staff member with the appropriate experience and credentials to serve as the interim director of Jefferson College Arnold.”
Young’s salary increased to $62,150 as interim director, up from her $55,290 salary as coordinator of retention services. Lincoln’s final salary as the Arnold campus director was $71,739.
She did not give a reason for leaving in her resignation letter, but Harvey-Manus said Lincoln told her she had accepted a job as a Fox High School science teacher for the 2023-2024 school year.
Lincoln had been the college’s Arnold campus director since August 2019, and her last day in that job was June 30.
Young has started her new job in the midst of a $4,415,000 construction project at the Arnold campus, including the addition of a third floor and other significant renovations. Aspire Construction Services in St. Charles was awarded the construction contract for the 5,500-square foot addition and other improvements.
Once the addition is complete, the college’s Law Enforcement and EMT-Paramedic programs will be relocated to the Arnold campus.
Those programs currently are housed at the Imperial campus, 4400 Jeffco Blvd. Once the Law Enforcement and EMT-Paramedic programs are relocated, college officials have said they plan to close the Imperial campus and likely will put it up for sale.
Other renovations underway at the 46,500-square-foot Arnold campus building include improvements to the first and second floors. Construction at the Arnold campus began in May and is expected to be complete at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Harvey-Manus said.
The Arnold campus has been closed for construction this summer, but classes will resume there for the fall semester, which starts later this month. However, the Arnold campus classes will be held remotely at first, Harvey-Manus said
“Due to construction delays, our Arnold 16-week classes that start Aug. 21 will be remote that week,” Young said. “Classes will resume face-to-face on campus the week of (Aug. 28). We have started communicating with students regarding the delay and remote format for the week.”
Harvey-Manus said part of Young’s duties will be overseeing the construction work.
“The interim director of Jefferson College Arnold will oversee the daily operations of the Arnold location, including, but not limited to, oversight of the construction and renovations; evaluation of programs and services; implementation of strategies to increase enrollment, persistence and retention; supervision of Enrollment Services staff; oversight of the Arnold budget; and participation in community organizations,” Harvey-Manus said.
Young said she appreciates being named to the interim director role.
“I’m just excited for the opportunity,” she said. “It’s obviously a promotion for me. I’m looking forward to try to increase enrollment at the Arnold campus.”
Young has worked at Jefferson College for eight years, following a two-year stint at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.
She has a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri and a master’s degree from Missouri Baptist University-St. Louis.
Young, 38, lives in Oakville with her husband, Edward, and their son, Teddy. She grew up in De Soto.