Dr. Lyvier Leffler says her heart is with rural communities. She grew up on a farm in southeast Iowa and was the only Hispanic student in her high school. She was also the first person in her family to go to college.
“I went to a community college, and that was the gateway for me. We grew up very poor, very impoverished,” she said. “Most of my beliefs and how I treat people were how I was raised on the farm. My dad always said, ‘Treat others as you want to be treated.’ And so that’s what I’ve always done.”
She described herself as open, honest, transparent “and a hard worker” as a result of her upbringing. That’s the way she approaches leadership and what she would bring to Allen Community College if selected as its next president, she said.
Leffler is the fourth and final candidate to tour the campus and community, with public forums and interviews on Thursday.
She did not start her career in education. Instead, she wanted to be a therapist.
“I was the kid in high school that always was helping others, and I was a good listener,” she said.
Leffler became a licensed therapist — she still maintains her license — and worked her way up into healthcare administration. A friend, two decades ago at the local community college in Iowa, suggested she take a job there as director of rural health and educational partners. On the college’s behalf, she offered support to small, rural hospitals and clinics in a 10-county area.
For the past 25 years, she’s worked a variety of leadership roles for colleges of various sizes, including as interim president for eight months last year.
“And so now it’s not only a love, it’s a passion,” she said.
Regarding the campus tour Thursday, she said: “I’ve seen students today and I see myself 30 years ago, and how college changed my life.”
Now that her husband is retired and their two daughters are adults, Leffler said she’s looking for an opportunity to bring her skill and experience back to a rural community. She currently serves as vice president of student success at Lone Star College – University Park in the Houston, Texas, area which has more than 90,000 students.
“I miss the intimacy of knowing the students, their names, their faces. Going to the games and seeing them the next day and saying, ‘Hey, great job last night.’ I miss going down to the corner cafe and recognizing people in the community,” she said.
“I’ve gained so much knowledge — strategic enrollment management planning, grants, fundraising, CTE programming — all things I could bring back to where I want to call home. I want to set up roots. I know I can make a big impact and it needs to be a place that I would fit both professionally as well as personally.”
She noted Allen’s decision to build a Career and Technical Education facility should boost enrollment as the college attempts to reach a new population of adult learners.
It’s important to build relationships and have open conversations within the community as a way to understand the needs and how the college can better train the local workforce, she said. Leffler said she would take a similar approach to working with Allen faculty and staff.
