DECATUR — Brent Gregory was named the new president of East Central Community College on Tuesday, succeeding Billy Stewart, who will retire on June 30.
Gregory, a 1996 ECCC graduate, will serve as the college’s ninth president. His duties start on July 1.
The Nanih Waiya native has a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a master’s degree in workforce training and development from the University of Southern Mississippi and a doctorate in community college leadership from Mississippi State University.
“My goal was never to be a college president, my goal was to be the president at East Central Community College,” Gregory said following the announcement Tuesday.
Gregory said he aims to build on the school’s workforce development programs so residents won’t have to leave the area for jobs.
He also plans to be active in the community and emphasize teamwork with students and staff during the transition.
ECCC serves the counties of Newton, Neshoba, Leake, Scott and Winston.
“No county is going to be left behind,” Gregory said of his focus in leading the school. “We are going to work as a group and no one county can stand on its own.”
“When we started this search, our goal was to find the best person possible to lead this institution at this point in time, and we believe we have done just that,” ECCC Board Chairman Dr. Jimmy Hollingsworth said in a news release. “Dr. Gregory has been preparing to be a college president throughout his career, and we are excited about the future of East Central Community College under his leadership.”
Gregory has been vice president for student services at Southwest Mississippi Community College since 2017, where he is Title IX coordinator and supervises the offices of counseling and recruiting, financial aid, campus housing, campus police, college publications, disability services, and student activities, as well as all judicial affairs of the institution.
Gregory also served seven years as associate vice president for enrollment management at Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead, where he was the college registrar and supervised the offices of admissions, counseling and recruiting, financial aid, distance learning and online education, dual enrollment, disability services, and work based learning, as well as the Career Center, Center of Learning and Tutoring Services, and library. He also oversaw Predominately Black Institution program grants in excess of $7 million.
Gregory has also served as an economics instructor, Workforce Investment Act coordinator, and director of student life at ECCC, and as an instructor and coach for the Louisville Municipal School District.
He is also a graduate of the Education Policy Fellowship Program, Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy, Mississippi Community College Fellowship program, and holds Mississippi Virtual Community College certification.
He and his wife, the former Christi Lee, live in Summit with their daughters, McKinley and Mary Lee. Christi Gregory, a native of Philadelphia, is a 1995 ECCC graduate.