Wake Tech welcomes Dr. William (Bill) Aiken as interim president of Wake Tech. He succeeds Dr. Stephen Scott who retired at the end of August after serving as president for 15 years.
Dr. Aiken is a native of Greeneville, Tennessee and has a lifelong career in education.
Aiken began his career as a public school teacher. After completing his graduate program, he joined the Tennessee Department of Education as an educational specialist in vocational education. He served as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Institutional Research with the Tennessee Board of Regents working with six regional universities and 12 community colleges. He also served as Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.
In 2000, Aiken joined the North Carolina Community College System as president of Sampson Community College. He served as president until his retirement in 2012. During his tenure, the college made significant progress in meeting the higher education and training needs of the community. Under his leadership, Sampson Community College grew in student enrollment, financial giving, grants, and overall college visibility in the community.
Aiken was honored as North Carolina Community College President of the Year in 2010. Since his retirement, he has served as interim president at Haywood, Rockingham, Paul D. Camp (VA), Robeson, and Cleveland Community Colleges.
As interim president, Dr. Aiken looks forward to continuing the strong tradition Wake Tech has achieved in enriching the lives of Wake County residents through higher education, training, and workforce development.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens. He earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a concentration at the doctoral level on vocational, technical, and adult education.
He will serve as Wake Tech’s interim president until a permanent president is selected and approved by the Board of Trustees.