Hudson County Community College Board of Trustees Chair William Netchert and Vice Chair Bakari Lee have both decided not to seek new terms after serving on the volunteer governing body for 21 and 18 years, respectively.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Chairman Netchert and Vice Chair Lee devoted their adult lives to serving the people of Hudson County and the college. Hudson County Community College is a model for community colleges throughout the United States thanks to their leadership,” HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber said in a statement.
“They advanced the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, advocated accessible, high-quality higher education for all, helped grow the College physically and academically, promoted HCCC and community colleges as engines of upward economic mobility, and assisted in acquiring resources that enable record numbers of our neighbors in the community to attend HCCC and attain their higher education dreams.”
Netchert was appointed to the HCCC Board of Trustees in 2003 and elected chairman in 2005.
Under his leadership, and in partnership with the college’s administration, he promoted the development of the “urban college campus” concept and, having chaired the Board’s Capital Projects Advisory Committee for many years.
As a result, he was vitally involved in securing the funding for the college’s $346.3 million expansion that included from-the-ground-up construction of the award-winning HCCC Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center and adjacent Culinary Plaza Park, North Hudson Campus, Gabert Library Building, STEM Building, Student Center, and the upcoming HCCC Center for Student Success, among other things.
Lee was appointed to the HCCC Board of Trustees in 2006. He served as secretary and Treasurer from 2009 until he was elected vice chair in 2012.
Additionally, Lee was chair of the HCCC Finance and Ethics Committees and served on the Capital Projects Advisory, Presidential Search, Middle States, and Technology committees.
He was an active and participating member of the HCCC President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (PACDEI), Trustee Liaison to the HCCC Foundation, and presenter at the 2022 HCCC Teaching and Learning Symposium on Social Justice in Higher Education.
Lee interacted with HCCC students and faculty on numerous occasions, including delivering the keynote address at the College’s 2020 Kente Graduation and 2023 Juneteenth celebrations.
“We are honored to have benefited from the extraordinary leadership, guidance, and support of William Netchert and Bakari Lee and are grateful for their dedication and for all they accomplished for our students and community over many years,” Reber added.
“The entire HCCC family joins me in thanking them and wishing them good health, happiness and success in their futures. Hudson County Community College will forever be their home.”
