By Kathryn Reed

Lake Tahoe Community College is getting an interim president who likes to fix things and has experience with the accreditation process.

The brief special board meeting this morning was all about hiring someone for this coming school year. On a 5-0 vote, Steve Maradian was voted in. He will start Aug. 31. The contract is to expire no later than June 30, 2011. His rate of pay is equivalent to $160,000 a year.

Steve Maradian

“He has indicated his interest is fixing things,” board President Kerry David said just after the 7:45am vote on Aug. 20.

It is possible Maradian could throw his hat in the ring to be considered for the permanent job.

Susan Middleton has been acting president this summer and will preside over at least one more meeting before retiring from the college. She took over for Paul Killpatrick, the third president of the 35-year-old two-year institution in South Lake Tahoe, who quit after serving two years of his three-year contract.

All candidates for the interim job had to submit a writing sample.

“He was incredibly sharp,” David said of Maradian.

With LTCC going through the accreditation process, which involves a self-study this year before the team of officials visits in 2011-12, Maradian’s two-year stint as vice president of policy and research for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges is deemed an incredible asset.

Prior to that, Maradian was president of Los Angeles City College from 2005-08.