Leadership

McDonnell has more than 30 years of community college experience at two comprehensive, high-performing community colleges. During his career, he has worked in a supportive professional role, a faculty role and administrative roles. Since 2014, McDonnell has served as the vice president for Academic Affairs and is also responsible for accreditation compliance. From 2008 to 2014, he was dean for Humanities and Visual Arts at MCC, and helped establish MCC's public art committee to place student and professional artists' work throughout MCC's campuses and centers. McDonnell earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Iowa State in 1985, a Master of Arts in Communication from Eastern Illinois University in 1995, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Northcentral University in 2012.

Over the last 20 years, Vazquez has held several positions at MCC, including associate vice president for Student Affairs, dean of the MCC South Omaha Campus, student services director at the South Omaha Campus and coordinator of Nebraska Corrections Education Connection. Vazquez serves on numerous non-profit boards and has been recognized for her tireless work in the Omaha community. Vazquez holds an associate degree from MCC, a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Since 1988, Friesen has served the College in a variety of capacities, including the President’s Office, Academic Affairs, institutional planning, research, grants, events, and facilities use. Friesen holds a master's degree in Higher Education Administration with an emphasis in Human Resource Development from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Girard is the vice president for Community and Workforce Education. He was previously the executive director of Continuing Education, constantly expanding and diversifying programming offered to learners of all ages and interests. This newly created role extends his leadership to include the College’s Workforce Innovation Division where he provides leadership and strategic direction for the design and delivery of workforce training programs, customized skills development training, professional development, and community education programming.

Barry has more than 15 years of higher education experience in both faculty and administrative roles. He joined MCC in 2016 as the Dean of Career and Technical Education. Prior to joining higher education, he worked in construction and land development holding a variety of roles. As the Vice President for Strategic Operations and Initiatives, he leads the strategic planning efforts, including facilities planning, development, and overall facilities operations. Barry holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from the University of Nebraska Kearney, a Master’s in Business Administration from MidAmerica Nazarene University, and a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

Melissa has spent over 25 years working in Human Resources. Prior to joining the MCC team she held the role of Director, Compensation and Benefits at WoodmenLife. Beber holds a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Goeman oversees all College technology operations, security and strategy, including computer infrastructure, application services, cybersecurity, risk and compliance, servers, audio/visual, support services, and computer systems support. He held several different positions while working in information technology at the University of Nebraska for more than 25 years while also working as an adjunct professor. Goeman holds an Ed.D. in Educational Administration and a M.A. in Instructional Technology from the University of Nebraska, as well as a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Northern Iowa.