The District Board of Trustees of Lake-Sumter State College has unanimously voted to appoint Dr. Laura Byrd as its interim president.
yrd, currently the college’s Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement, has been at LSSC since 2017. She has overseen areas including the Foundation, Grants, Community Relations, Career Services and Continuing Education. Byrd brings over 20 years of higher education to her new role.
“I want to thank Dr. Bigard for her service to Lake-Sumter State College and her focus on serving our students,” said Bret Jones, chair of the District Board of Trustees. “The District Board sent a clear message tonight that they have confidence in Dr. Laura Byrd and her ability to provide leadership to this great college. Alongside an excellent group of vice presidents, I know that Dr. Byrd is the right choice to guide us through this transition.”
“I appreciate the confidence that the District Board of Trustees has placed in me to lead Lake-Sumter State College,” said Byrd. “This is such a great college, and the work that we do is an important part of providing opportunity to students in our community. I look forward to working with the vice presidents and our talented faculty and staff to continue our focus on the strategic priorities of expanding access, student success and workforce development.”
This comes after the sudden resignation of Dr. Heath Bigard on Thursday. She was initially appointed the seventh president of LSSC in 2023 as the first woman to hold the role in the college’s 60 years. Her resignation, effective immediately, cited personal reasons to focus on her health and family.
