Dr. O’dell Owens addresses the Cincinnati State Board of Trustees and audience after being selected by the Board as the new president of the technical and career program college. Photo provided by Cincinnati State The board of trustees of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College voted unanimously Aug. 18 to appoint Dr. O’dell M. Owens as the next president of the college.

Owens and Dr. Mitchel Livingston, Ph.D., vice president for student affairs and chief diversity officer, University of Cincinnati, were the two finalists for the position. Owens begins his duties at Cincinnati State with the start of its Early Fall Term on Sept. 7. The Presidential Search Committee began meeting in May, and screened more than 20 applications and nominations.

Owens, 62, was elected Hamilton County Coroner in November 2004 as the first African American to hold the position. Running as a Democrat, Owens promised to restore dignity and professionalism to the scandal-ridden Coroner’s Office, and has delivered on his promise, partnering with community service groups and removing politics from the office.

A well-know endocrinologist, Owens was named in a 1995 Cincinnati Magazine poll as one of the most trustworthy people in the city. He has become a motivational speaker who is actively involved in the Cincinnati community working with disadvantaged youth to motivate them to reach their full potential. He is a strong advocate of early childhood reading programs.

Owens said during the interview process he had not considered or was interested in being a college president, but, after thinking about the proposal to apply at Cincinnati State, he had become very interested in being president of Cincinnati State.

In meeting with students during the interview process, Owens said he wants them to feel that they have a home at Cincinnati State and that they feel good about the college. “I will always try to make Cincinnati State the best it can be, and to make your proud of your college,’’ he said.

Owens said during the interview process that he has the experience necessary for the college presidency, mentioning his financial expertise as a senior director at U.S. Bank, his 14 years as a trustee at University of Cincinnati, his public popularity and familiarity with civic and private leaders, his teaching experience as an assistant professor at UC, and his expertise as a public speaker (he has been the UC Medical School commencement speaker for the last 25 years). People know my face, and I can be the face of this institution,’’ he said.

Owens said he wants Cincinnati State to be a first choice institution for students, not a default choice. “This college is a front door to education for many students, and the community should be proud of what it offers,’’ he said. “What we do here creates our middle class, and that is something we can be proud of.’’

Owens said he plans to accentuate and promote other positives of the college, such as the fact that many programs are so popular they have waiting lists, the great diversity of programs offered, the outstanding nursing program, and other positives.’’ He plans to market the college through the social Internet venues, to develop student ambassadors, and through other avenues.

“The bottom line is that we help people get a job as we prepare them to compete in a global market,’’ he said.

He said he has not been discouraged as he becomes more acquainted with the college, but realizes the challenges ahead of providing enough full-time faculty to meet growing enrollments, the lack of communication between various campus factions, the lack of adequate parking on campus, the lack of uniformity in policies, and other issues. He says many of the answers to these challenges lie within the people in the institution, and he plans to take ideas from the bottom up as well as from the top. He wants programs that are tied to the community, and he wants to develop additional scholarships for students, he said.

“Dr. Owens is the right man for this place at this time. We are confident he will take Cincinnati State to new heights,’’ said Michael Oestreicher, chairman of the college’s Board of Trustees.

Owens succeeds Dr. John L. Henderson, who has been serving as interim president of Cincinnati State since November 2007. Oestreicher praised the service Henderson has given Cincinnati State during his extended tenure as interim president.

“I want to thank Dr. Henderson: for your vision, for your leadership, for your generosity of spirit, for your willingness to step into a difficult situation and first lead this school to a new place and then go on to build a strong platform for your successor to take it to even greater heights,’’ Oestreicher said. “He proved to us just what the power and potential of the right person, being in the right place, at the right time can be for this school.’’

Oestricher said it took great courage for two very public gentlemen (Owens and Livingston) to submit themselves to the very public interviewing process, “Both proved themselves to be highly qualified men of great vision. Each made us feel their overriding passion and love for education – and in particular accessible education – and the pivotal effect it can have on our community’s health, well-being and future. Each demonstrated leadership skills that impressed the Board,’’ he said.

Owens, a native Cincinnatian, attended Woodward High School, Antioch College, and Yale University, where he earned his M.D., a master’s in public health and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology. He also served at Harvard Medical School as clinical instructor and completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology. Upon returning to Cincinnati, he established an in-vitro fertilization program and achieved Cincinnati’s first successful conception, pregnancy and delivery from a frozen embryo. His many awards include being named one of the Bicentennial’s 200 Greater Cincinnatians in recognition of community service, and one of Black Enterprise Magazine’s Top 15 Black Doctors in America. In 2004, He was elected Hamilton County Coroner and re-elected in 2008.

Owens’ previous board membership includes the Executive Committee of the Yale Medical Student School Alumni, the Board for Antioch College, the Cincinnati Health Department and the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, and US Bank.

Cincinnati State offers more than 75 associate degree and 40 certificate programs in business technologies, health and public safety, engineering technologies, humanities and sciences and information technologies. About 10,600 students were enrolled in the Spring 2010 term. Cincinnati State has one of the largest cooperative education programs in the United States.