Dr. Natalie Devonish 1 of 4 Finalists for Atlantic Cape President’s Post
Photo courtesy of Natalie Devonish
AC JosepH Media
MAYS LANDING – Dr. Natalie Devonish, the current vice president of student affairs and enrollment management for Atlantic Cape Community College is one of four finalists to replace current ACCC President Dr. Barbara Gaba, the coillege’s board of trustees announced this week.
Devonish is the highest ranking African American woman at ACCC behind Gaba. Gaba announced her retirement this past October to become effective at the end of her current contract on June 30. She was the first Black and woman to lead the college.
Devonish is the only current Atlantic Cape employee, person of color and female to make the final cut for president. The three other finalists include:
* Dr. Jason Abreu, vice president of student affairs at Trinity River Campus for Tarrant County College in Texas;
*Dr. Sean Fischer, chief research development officer at Rowan University; and
*Dr. Bernard Polnariev, vice president for administrative services at Union College.
Devonish, who graduated from Atlantic City High School, had served as the dean of the Charles D. Worthington Atlantic City Campus and Workforce Development for Atlantic Cape.
She earned a doctorate in Education in Organizational Leadership from Stockton University, a master’s NJ; a master’s in administrative science/leadership from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a bachelor’s in business management from Rutgers University.
The college said open forums with the College Community will take place April 21st and 22nd, and each candidate will participate in a one-hour open forum at each campus. We invite and encourage everyone to participate in the candidate open forums, which will be made accessible to all faculty, administrators, staff, students and the general public. There will be a brief introduction of each candidate, followed by a question-and-answer session.
All who attend will be asked to complete a confidential feedback form and the completed forms will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for their review. Zoom is not available for the open forums.
Open Forum with the College Community Schedule:
Tuesday, April 21, 2026:
Candidate – Bernard Polnariev, Ph.D.
9 a.m. – 10 a.m. Worthington Atlantic City Campus (WACC), Room 204
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Cape May County Campus (CMCC), Room 212
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Mays Landing Campus, Theater, Building C
Candidate – Sean Fischer, Ed.D.
10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Cape May County Campus (CMCC), Room 212
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Mays Landing Campus, Theater, Building C
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Worthington Atlantic City Campus (WACC), Room 204
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Candidate – Natalie Devonish, Ed.D.
9 a.m. – 10 a.m. Worthington Atlantic City Campus (WACC), Room 204
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Cape May County Campus (CMCC), Room 212
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Mays Landing Campus, Theater, Building C
Candidate – Jason Abreu, Ed.D.
10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Cape May County Campus (CMCC), Room 212
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Mays Landing Campus, Theater, Building C
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Worthington Atlantic City Campus (WACC), Room 204
As the first female and first African American president in the college’s history, Gaba’s leadership has transformed Atlantic Cape in lasting ways.
Under her direction, the College secured millions of dollars in grant funding to support student success initiatives and infrastructure improvements, expanded academic programs, and deepened community partnerships across Atlantic and Cape May counties.
Established in 1964, Atlantic Cape Community College is a Middle States accredited, 2022 Achieving the Dream Leader College and Hispanic Serving Institution proudly serving the residents of Atlantic and Cape May counties.
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