WINTERVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – The trustees of one community college here in the east have chosen an interim president to fill the role when the current president retires at the end of next month.

Pitt Community College Board of Trustees announced it has selected Ricky Brown, the community college’s vice president of finance/chief financial officer, to serve as PCC’s interim president.

The community college’s current president, Dr. Lawrence Rouse, will retire at the end of June.

PCC Trustees Chairman Charles Ellis said they received approval from the State Board of Community Colleges to name Brown as interim president on May 17.

“Naming Ricky Brown interim president is fulfillment of a pledge that trustees made to students, employees and the community when the presidential search process began in early March, to have a smooth presidential transition,” Ellis said.

Ellis says the search for Rouse’s replacement is still ongoing.

PCC says Brown began working with the community college’s business office in 1992 as budget officer.

The Pitt County native took the role of business manager in 2004 before being promoted to chief financial officer in 2012.

Dr. Rouse promoted him to vice president of finance/chief financial officer in 2019.

Brown said he looks forward to serving the community college in the new role.

“Pitt Community College changes the lives of our students, and we see that here every day,” Brown said. “It is a great place to work, and that is why I have made it my career here for the past 32 years. I understand we have some great applicants in our presidential search, and I look forward to working with our new president once he or she is on board.”

Brown has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from East Carolina University. He also has a master’s in business administration from ECU.