Matson, Wittenberg join RCC Board
Jonathan Matson and Bill Wittenberg were sworn in as the newest members of the Randolph Community College Board of Trustees during the Board’s monthly meeting Thursday, Aug. 15, in the Martha Luck Comer Foundation Conference Center. Current Board members Vice Chair James Gouty and Chris Yow also took their oaths of office as their terms were renewed, while Harvey Boone's term expired. The Board also voted to retain the same officers with Reynolds Lisk as Chair, Gouty as Vice Chair, and RCC President/CEO Dr. Shah Ardalan as Secretary.
“We are excited to welcome Jonathan Matson and Bill Wittenberg to our Board of Trustees,” Ardalan said. “Their diverse experiences and commitment to our community will be invaluable as we continue to advance the mission of Randolph Community College. We look forward to their insights and leadership as we work together to enhance educational opportunities and support the success of our students. We are deeply grateful to our legislators for appointing such excellent trustees to our board.”
Matson, who was the state House of Representatives’ choice, is an electrical engineer with Somero Matson Group, a family company that created scheduling software for contractors and builds instruments for measuring concrete flooring.
“My hopes are to help and keep up the good work at RCC, especially working with Toyota,” he said. “My background is in construction technology, so I might be able to help educate people about some of the opportunities available in that industry.”
Wittenberg, who is the state Senate’s choice, is retired. He was the CEO of Klaussner Furniture from 2010-2019, joining the High Point Market Authority Board of Directors in 2016 and being elected Chair of the American Home Furnishings Alliance Board of Directors in 2018. Before Klaussner, Wittenberg was president and CEO of Berkline/BenchCraft.
“I hope to be able to weigh in on whatever issues come before the Board and lend something that’s helpful and useful for this Board to make a decision,” he said. “I was in the furniture industry for 43 years; I know many of the Board members have a background steeped in education. I hope I can bring something from a business perspective.”
The September 2023 state budget changed the way members of local boards of trustees for community colleges are chosen. Instead of four seats by the local board of education, four by the local board of commissioners, and four by the governor, eight trustees will be appointed by the North Carolina General Assembly — four from the House of Representatives and four from the Senate, and four by the board of commissioners of the county in which the main campus of the college is located. One of those four trustees can be a county commissioner.
Randolph Community College (RCC), under the leadership of President/CEO Dr. Shah Ardalan, is committed to providing relevant career training and educational opportunities. Affordable degrees and short-term certificate programs start throughout the year, both in person and online. For more information, call 336-633-0200 or visit www.randolph.edu and expect to engage with the most competent and compassionate team of faculty and staff.