HAMLET — Following Dr. Dale McInnis’ retirement earlier this week, Richmond Community College welcomed its new president during an announcement ceremony Monday inside the Cole Auditorium.
Just days removed from opening its annual concert with Grammy-winning country music band Diamond Rio, the Cole Auditorium hosted another momentous occasion as RCC Trustee Claudia Robinette introduced Brent Barbee as the college’s eighth president.
“Our next president uniquely matches the feedback we’ve heard in our surveys and ongoing conversations in the college and across the community. We heard, clearly, and hope we stay on the current course, build on our pattern of growth and innovation, and find a leader who understands Richmond and Scotland counties,” Robinette said. “We all agree, we need someone with executive experience in the state’s community colleges, who has a proven history as an established and effective leader. There was only one candidate that checked all of the boxes, and demonstrated in his interview process and his body of work that he is the right person to lead the college forward for many years to come.”
Before becoming president, Barbee served as RCC vice president and chief financial. According to a press release from RCC Director of Marketing and Communications Wylie Bell, Barbee worked for Richmond CC for 20 years. For the past 14 years, he supervised multiple facets of the College, including financial operations, personnel, maintenance, construction, grants and information technology. He played a major part in the startup, planning and development of the Electric Lineman, Truck Driver Training and Surgical Technology programs. He also served the past 14 years as the capital project coordinator for all the College’s construction projects, including renovations and additions to the Forte Building, Morgan Center, Lee Building and Lindsey-Petris Building and construction of the Richmond CC Café and PE field. Barbee earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. He earned both a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University. He is also a graduate of Richmond Senior High School. Barbee has served in his community in a variety of ways and was named the Richmond County United Way Volunteer of the Year in 2023. He also served on the Hamlet City Council from 2001 to 2005.
“His integrity over the years has earned the trust and respect of employees and the board. We are all confident he will do a wonderful job for many years to come,” Robinette said.
The search for a new president began last May, when Dr. McInnis announced his retirement. With 6 months to find a new president, RCC officials reached out to Educational Leadership Associates for assistance, and soon received applications from 52 candidates from across the country. Members of the search committee assisted in whittling those candidates down to 12, then three, which RCC submitted to the state education board for approval in September. During their board meeting earlier this month, RCC trustees selected Barbee. One of the first individuals Barbee thanked was Dr. McInnis.
“Without his leadership and mentorship, this would not have been possible. I can still vividly remember sitting in his office more than 20 years ago, when I started here at Richmond Community College. He told me that day that if I worked hard, paid attention to what’s going on around me, and not only mastered my job duties but truly learned about how the college operated, that I had the potential to succeed here. There have been many words of wisdom he provided me over the years, but I never forgot that first meeting. I would like to say, you know what, you were right Dale,” Barbee said.
As for McInnis, his retirement will take effect at the end of the month, leaving him plenty of time to endow a few more words of wisdom upon Barbee before he leaves. Shortly following his retirement announcement, McInnis announced his next educational pursuit as head of schools for O’Neal School of Southern Pines.
“We’re going to be supporting you (Barbee) and the future. I pledge the next 10 days that we’re going to continue the partnership that we’ve had and make sure we have a smooth transition. I want to applaud Claudia Robinette … We have a great board of trustees, and they did a wonderful job during this search process. We’re grateful for your commitment and work on our behalf … I’m confident this college will be on the right track for a long, long time to come,” McInnis said.