National Park College (NPC) announced changes to senior administrative positions Monday.
Vice President for Finance and Administration, Steve Trusty will retire in February
and Associate Vice President for Human Resources, Janet Brewer will retire effective
January 31.
Kelli Embry, vice president for workforce and strategic initiatives will assume the
role of vice president for administration. Her role will oversee the College’s strategic
and financial planning, and provide administrative leadership for human resources,
auxiliary services, construction projects, facilities operations, risk management,
and security. Trusty will remain with NPC in a part time capacity and serve as a senior
advisor to the president. A search will be conducted for a vice president for workforce.
Trusty joined NPC in October 2015 after 35 years in the banking industry. He has a
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration
from the University of Arkansas. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s
National Commercial Lending School and the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking
at Southern Methodist University. He has been a member of the Oaklawn Rotary Club
for more than 33 years, and he currently serves a vice president of the board for
Adult and Teen Challenge of Arkansas, the Fifty for the Future executive board, and
the Oaklawn Foundation board.
Trusty said, “It has been an honor to be able to serve the students, faculty and
staff at NPC for these last five years. We’ve been able to make significant improvements
in our budget processes, our financial reporting, and I’ve been involved in overseeing
the modernization of our campus, including new construction of the Student Commons
Building, the Marine Tech facility and now Dogwood Hall. I’ve been privileged to work
with many seasoned professionals and I know that they’ll continue to work well with
Kelli going forward.”
Brewer joined NPC in 1999 as an accountant. She is past President of the Arkansas
College and University Professional Association and continues to serve on the board,
secretary of the Arkansas Higher Education Consortium Board, and previously served
on the United Way Board of Directors and the Leadership Hot Springs Board of Directors.
“It has been a wonderful journey at NPC and I have been able to work with some of
the best people. I’ve had the privilege of working with three different presidents
under three different college names in the past 21 years. They helped me to grow and
hold five different roles where I could serve the student, faculty and staff of the
College. I am excited about the future and I look forward to sharing my gifts in other
ways now,” said Brewer.
Embry joined the Community and Corporate Training Division at NPC in August 2011.
She worked in human resources management for 18 years before transitioning to higher
education administration in 2006 at Collin College in Plano, Texas. She has a Bachelor
in Business Administration from Texas A&M University Texarkana and a Master of Science
in Management from Texas A&M University Commerce. She has completed all coursework
toward her Doctorate of Education in Community College Leadership at Morgan State
University. She also achieved a Professional Human Resources (PHR) certification from
the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI).
Embry stated, “I am deeply honored to embark upon a new journey at NPC as the vice
president for administration. Serving on the President’s Cabinet with Janet and Steve
has been a pleasure and I have learned a great deal from them both. It will be exciting
to build upon the strong foundation they have established.”
NPC President, Dr. John Hogan expressed his appreciation for Trusty’s service to
the College. “Steve has guided us through some very challenging economic events during
his tenure. Despite the obstacles, we have built and maintained a strong reserve fund
and are fiscally stronger than ever. We are grateful for his contributions and will
value his expertise as we transition his role,” he said.
“Janet has made significant contributions to the campus during her time here. Her
work with our crisis planning, the risk management team, and our quality pay initiatives
will leave lasting impressions for many years. We are grateful to her and wish her
well in her retirement,” Hogan said.
Hogan added, “After working closely with Kelli for the past six years, I am confident
that she will be very successful in this new role. She has a broad background of experience
in leadership, management and human resources. She has strong organizational skills
and she has been responsible for the impressive growth in our workforce and continuing
education training.”
