Carmen Simone

DEVILS LAKE – The State Board of Higher Education has announced the appointment of Dr. Carmen Simone as interim president of Lake Region State College, beginning July 1. Current President Doug Darling retires at the end of June.

“We are happy to keep her leadership within the North Dakota University System and look forward to her knowledge and vision at Lake Region,” said Tim Mihalick, chair of the State Board of Higher Education. “Dr. Simone has an extensive history of increasing administrative and leadership responsibilities in higher education, and specifically among two-year institutions. As she has North Dakota roots and we are happy she has agreed to serve in a new capacity for our higher education system.”

Simone has served as dean and chief executive officer at Dakota College at Bottineau since August 2022. Simone has an extensive administrative background and has served more than 30 years in higher education. Prior to serving at Dakota College at Bottineau, she served as president of Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, Neb. Simone earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota and her doctorate from Colorado State University, both degrees in chemistry.

“I am deeply humbled and honored to have been chosen to join LRSC in the interim president role and I’d like to thank President Darling for his many years of leadership and appreciate the opportunity and the trust the State Board of Higher Education has placed in me. I’m looking forward to working with the entire LRSC community as we move into the future together,” Simone said.

Earlier in her career, Simone served as vice-president and dean of the University of South Dakota Community College for Sioux Falls, president of Trinidad State Junior College in Colorado, provost and vice-president of academic affairs at Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho, and vice-president of academic affairs at Casper College in Wyoming, where she also taught chemistry for more than 10 years.