Northwest to hold presidential inauguration Sept. 21

Senatobia, MS (08/24/2018) — The public is cordially invited to attend the inauguration of Northwest Mississippi Community College's ninth president, Dr. Michael J. Heindl on Friday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. The event will take place in Howard Coliseum on the Senatobia campus. A reception in the David M. Haraway Center will follow immediately.

Heindl, who took office on July 1, came to Northwest following the retirement of Dr. Gary Lee Spears, who had served the college as president since 2005.

A native of Clinton, Heindl was serving as executive vice president of Administration and Finance at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) in Perkinston before coming to Northwest.

Heindl holds a doctorate in Community College Leadership from Mississippi State University (2011), a Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University (2001), a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Mississippi College (1997) and an Associate of Arts in general studies/music from Hinds Community College (1994).

He began his career in education in 2001 as golf tournament coordinator at Hinds Community College and also served as an intern for the Mississippi Supreme Court while working on his law degree during that time. In July, 2001 he became dean of students for Wesley College in Florence before being named district director of Admissions and Records at Hinds in 2003. In 2006, Heindl was program specialist for Career and Technical Education at the Mississippi Community College Board, where some of his responsibilities included coordination for all career-technical programs and workforce training for the state's 15 community colleges.

In 2007 he returned to Hinds, where he worked for four years as dean of students for the Rankin County Campus before being named vice president of the Jackson County Campus of MGCCC in 2011. A year later, he moved into the position of executive vice president of Administration and Finance.

In addition to his administrative experience, Heindl has 16 years of teaching experience, having served as an adjunct instructor for legal courses in both the Department of Business and in the Career-Technical paralegal program at Hinds. He has also taught graduate-level courses in higher education law at Mississippi College and was an adjunct professor teaching Community College Legal Issues in the Community College Leadership doctoral program at Mississippi State University.

Active in a number of professional groups and community organizations, Heindl was president-elect of the Community College Business Officers Association (CCBO), a member of the Gulf Coast Business Council Master's Class and the Education Strategic Planning Committee for the Mississippi Coast, on the Planning Committee for Leadership Mississippi and an Angel runner for Ainsley's Angels, a national organization that provides racing/running experiences for special needs individuals.

He has served as a member of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Commission on Structured Pathways, Statewide Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement Task Force, and was on the MGCCC District Athletic Council. He also assisted other colleges with the accreditation process by serving on the Finance Accreditation Review Team for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Among his many accomplishments are the MGCCC Master Trainer Award, CCBO Outstanding Chief Business Officer Award, and Mississippi Top Ten Business Leaders Under 40. He has participated in leadership programs including the AACC Future Presidents Institute, Mississippi Economic Council Leadership Mississippi, and has been selected to attend the League for Innovation in the Community College Executive Leadership Institute in December.

He and his wife, the former Jennifer Ingram have three children, Taryn, 22, Harrison, 14 and Nicholas, 12 and one grandson, Jayson, 3. Jennifer is an ER nurse who is currently pursuing her master's degree to become a nurse practitioner.

Northwest's Senatobia campus is located at 4975 Highway 51 North, Senatobia, Mississippi. For more information, visit the college's website at northwestms.edu or call 662-562-3200.

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