The next president of Riverland Community College will be Kathleen "Kat" Linaker, who has spent decades working in academia and health care.

Trustees for the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities voted unanimously Wednesday to select Linaker to succeed current college President Adenuga Atewologun, who is retiring.

System Chancellor Devinder Malhotra told trustees that he was recommending Linaker from a pool that included 39 candidates, saying she "brings a wealth of experience and expertise" to the college and will help move it "to the next level."

Riverland Community College has campuses in Albert Lea, Austin, and Owatonna, which together serve about 4,500 students each year. Of them, about 55% tend to be first-generation college students, and 26% identify as people of color, according to system statistics.

Linaker worked from 2018 to 2022 as the vice president of academics for Western Technical College, a two-year institution in Wisconsin. She previously worked for the Mohawk Valley Community College in New York and for the SUNY Guided Pathways Project, which aims to help community colleges increase their graduation rates. She also worked as the executive director of chiropractic programs for D'Youville University in New York.

Linaker begins work at Riverland Community College on July 1 and told trustees she intends to spend the first five months getting to know the campus, its traditions and nearby community groups.

"I've dedicated my career to eliminating poverty through education and training," she said. "To be selected to serve Riverland Community College, an institution that aligns so well with my personal mission, brings me a combination of joy, hope and excitement that I really find difficult to adequately describe."