The director of the Kenai Peninsula College Kachemak Bay Campus will retire at end of the year. Carol Swartz has directed the campus for the past 32 years. She drove its growth by increasing the student enrollment and the school's offerings.
Swartz also founded the Kachemak Bay Writers' Conference. The event draws over 100 attendees and acclaimed writers to the Homer area every June.
Multiple organizations have recognized Swartz for her work at the campus, her development of the conference and her outreach in the community. She is in the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame and received the Governor’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Humanities among multiple other accolades.
The Kenai Peninsula College is beginning a national search for a new director and expects to have a replacement by early December. Swartz’s last day will be on December 31.