Kimberly Lynch Named Interim President of Central Lakes College

ST. PAUL, Minn., May 20, 2026 - The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has named Kimberly Lynch to serve as interim president of Central Lakes College. The appointment becomes effective July 1, 2026.

"Dr. Lynch has extensive experience with Minnesota State, including serving in leadership roles at three colleges and the system office," said Scott Olson, Minnesota State chancellor. "She is a strategic thinker with a passion for helping faculty and staff to bring innovation to the forefront to help students succeed, and I am confident she will be a steady and effective leader for Central Lakes College during this year of transition."

Lynch has broad higher education experience both in leadership positions as well as in the classroom. Her focus on technology and how human beings can successfully weave technology into their work has been a cornerstone of her leadership across Minnesota State for more than a decade.

Lynch currently serves as the associate vice chancellor for educational development and technologies at Minnesota State, a position she has held since 2014. In this role, she works with stakeholders across the system to launch or redefine efforts in enterprise-level resources and services such as faculty development, learning environments, open educational resources, student success, and generative artificial intelligence (AI).

During her time as the associate vice chancellor, Lynch has also served in two interim positions within Minnesota State. From March 2022-December 2022, she served as interim vice president for academic affairs at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji. As the interim vice president, she developed a transition readiness methodology to achieve identifiable results, led process improvement in course scheduling and faculty evaluation, and initiated work to launch a strategic enrollment management plan. And from April 2017-June 2018, she served as the interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs for Minnesota State where she worked to move implementation of transfer pathways forward, and integrated multiple efforts such as baccalaureate completion, regional academic planning, and online strategy work.

From 2012-2014 she served as the dean of science, technology, engineering, Math (STEM), and computer networking at Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) in Coon Rapids and Cambridge, where she provided leadership, management, and supervision for all STEM programs, computer networking, e-learning initiatives, academic technologies, and honors programming. From 2010-2011 she was the interim campus information officer at ARCC and from 2011-2012 she held that same interim position at both ARCC and Anoka Technical College in Anoka, where she helped the colleges move forward with centralized IT operations. She was dean of innovative teaching and learning at ARCC from 2009-2011, increasing the online learning presence at the college from 13% to 26%. Prior to joining administration, she served students as a faculty member in the English department at the Cambridge campus of ARCC.

She holds a bachelor's degree from Hamline University, and a master's and doctorate from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Lynch succeeds Hara Charlier who has served as president of Central Lake College since 2016 and has been appointed president of Berkshire Community College in Massachusetts.

It is expected that Lynch will serve for one year, starting July 1, 2026. A search for the next permanent president will begin in late fall 2026 with the intention of naming the permanent leader in the spring of 2027.

About Central Lakes College

Central Lakes College-Brainerd and Staples is a comprehensive community and technical college and a member of Minnesota State, serving more than 6,000 students each year. Recognized for its knowledgeable and caring faculty, results-oriented programs, and welcoming facilities, CLC has established itself as a first choice for students pursuing academic and career success. With deep roots in central Minnesota-dating back to 1938 in Brainerd and 1950 in Staples-the college carries a long-standing tradition of education and impact, with graduates contributing to communities across the region, the state, and the nation. Learn more at www.clcmn.edu.

About Minnesota State

Minnesota State includes 26 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 270,000 students. It is the third-largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the United States.

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