CAMPUS COMMANDER: CPCC PRESIDENT KANDI DEITEMEYER SEEKS TO CHANCE THE NARRATIVE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY COLLEGES.

• Author: Leggett, Page
• Position: NCTREND: Game changers: Profile of a female leader

Community colleges produce mechanics, nurse's aides, computer technicians and chefs. But they also can produce college presidents.

When Kandi Deitemeyer, 49, became the fourth president of Charlotte's Central Piedmont Community College in January 2017, she also became its first leader with a community-college degree. She graduated with an associate degree from Polk Community College--now Polk State College--in her native Florida and went on to earn bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from the University of South Florida in Tampa.

"Dr. D," as students call her, has spent her entire career in the community-college system. Prior to joining CPCC, she had served as president of College of The Albemarle in Elizabeth City since 2010.

Deitemeyer, who earns an annual salary of $321,625, succeeded Tony Zeiss, who held the job for 24 years before retiring in 2016. During his tenure, the college grew from one to six regional campuses and lured international companies such as Siemens to establish successful workforce-development programs.

Despite Deitemeyer's unique ascension from community-college grad to leader of a school with an annual budget topping $200 million, vocational training is still the bedrock of most community colleges. Today, learning a trade often involves cutting-edge technology. In April, CPCC became the first U.S. community college to launch Tesla START, a 12-week automotive technician training program, at its Huntersville campus.

The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.

> YOU'RE A COMMUNITY-COLLEGE ALUMNA YOURSELF-WHAT AN ENDORSEMENT!

I feel very fortunate to have gone to a community college. It was the right choice for me, financially and from an academic-preparedness standpoint. I'm the fifth of five children, so it was also the right choice for my family. It's been a great journey, but I have not had the career I planned on.

> WHAT WAS YOUR PLAN?

I was first drawn to broadcast journalism. I was on one path, but an opportunity I had with a faculty member led me down another. I love to communicate with people, to find out their stories. I guess that's the journalist in me. Now, instead of telling people's life stories, I'm helping them navigate their own journeys. 1 had a lot of mentors who took risks on me and challenged me. They saw more in me than I saw in myself. My career trajectory is not one I anticipated, but it was absolutely the path I was called to follow.

> WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF THE RISING COST OF...