COD board likely to appoint treasurer as interim president

The College of DuPage Board of Trustees has signaled it could name Vice President of Administration and Treasurer Brian Caputo interim president at its next regularly scheduled meeting Nov. 15.

The board discussed the replacement for current President Ann Rondeau on Oct. 18.

Rondeau resigned from her position earlier this month effective Dec. 31. Rondeau, a retired Navy vice admiral, accepted a request from the Secretary of the Navy to serve as president of the Navy Postgraduate School beginning Jan. 1, 2019.

At the meeting, the board determined it would not be feasible to conduct a presidential search and have a permanent replacement hired by the end of the year. The trustees agreed appointing an internal candidate for the interim position would be the best course of action.

Board President Deanne Mazzochi said the college needs to continue to build on the stability, transparency and fiscal responsibility that was developed under Rondeau.

“College of DuPage has undergone a renaissance of sorts in the last several years due, in large part, to strong, sound leadership,” she said in a statement. “We, as a College, are in an excellent position not only financially but academically with our full accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. Dr. Caputo has the ability to build on that momentum with a clear focus on student success.”

Trustee Christine Fenne said she also supports the appointment of Caputo as interim president to keep the momentum of the college’s goals moving forward.

“We wouldn’t have to bring anyone up to speed on the great work that we’re doing,” she said at the meeting. “I agree that Dr. Caputo would be an excellent choice. He’s done a great amount of work and knows the initiatives we’re working on very well.”

Student trustee Sonia Paul concurred with Fenne’s statement, saying Caputo would be the best candidate.

“We have all these initiatives going on right now, and Dr. Caputo has been instrumental in them and understands them and knows them,” she said. “I think it’s really important to have someone in this role who’s already familiar because everything will go along so much more smoothly.”

Mazzochi agreed with the other trustees and said she supports Caputo as an interim candidate.

“When Dr. Caputo first joined the college, he had a reputation for excellence that preceded him, and certainly since he’s been here, I’ve been able to witness that commitment to excellence up close and personal,” she said at the meeting. “I certainly concur that I have the utmost confidence that Dr. Caputo could serve admirably in the role as interim president.”

Caputo has been at COD since March 2017 and previously has served as chief financial officer and city treasurer for the city of Aurora. He has been on the faculty of Central Michigan University and an adjunct faculty member at Northern Illinois University.

Since joining COD, Caputo has been involved with the Guided Pathways and Project Hire-Ed programs at the college and worked to establish Innovation DuPage. He also is a certified public accountant, as well as a certified finance officer.