Northwest College is having a hard time filling the role Lisa Watson held prior to taking on the president duties — Vice President for Administrative Services and Finance.

So she’s still holding that role as well, while also being the interim president fall 2020 to spring 2022 before accepting the position of president in March.

The VP position and finance director are now top priorities to be filled, Watson told the NWC Board of Trustees on Monday. 

“One of those two positions absolutely must have a CPA,” she said. “I can hold the flag for now, but that’s not the best practice.”

The positions are so crucial that Watson said the college, which tries to avoid recruiting companies, has hired two, one to help fill each position. She said salary is the bottom line for these positions, with finance director candidates — a position below that of vice president — asking for as much as $175,000, only $19,000 less than Watson herself made as interim president. 

“You can pick your prize if you’re a finance director right now,” Watson said. 

She added that the college’s 47-year finance coordinator had announced an intention to retire in the near future, but would stay around to help train not just a replacement for her position, but help cross train a new finance director and finance VP.