DEARBORN — The list of finalists for the presidency of Henry Ford College in Dearborn has narrowed to four candidates following the withdrawal of Interim President Dr. Lori Gonko, who was selected on Wednesday to lead Macomb Community College, effective in June.

With Gonko’s departure, the final slate now includes Wayne County Commissioner David Knezek, Henry Ford College Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dr. Reginald Best, Johnson County (Kansas) Community College Executive Vice President Dr. Mickey McLeod and Normandale (Minnesota) Community College Interim President Dr. Pakou Yang.

According to sources speaking to The Arab American News, Gonko is expected to formally notify the Dearborn Board of Education of her withdrawal in the coming days.

Interviews and timeline

The Dearborn Board of Education is scheduled to conduct interviews with the four remaining candidates on March 25 and 26, ahead of a final vote expected during the first week of April to select the next president of the Dearborn-based community college.

The board had previously approved a list of five finalists by a 6–1 vote, with Trustee Amer Zahr casting the sole dissenting vote.

Parallel superintendent search

At the same time, the Dearborn Board of Education continues its search for a new superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools, a position currently held by Interim Superintendent Lamis Srour, who was unanimously appointed in November following the resignation of Dr. Glenn Maleyko.

Maleyko now serves in a statewide leadership role overseeing public schools across Michigan.

The board had initially set a 12-week timeline for selecting a new superintendent for the district, which includes 37 schools serving approximately 20,000 students. The process remains ongoing, as the search firm continues to accept applications through the end of this month.