SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The president of Salt Lake Community College announced on Wednesday she will be stepping down from her position in June 2024.

President Deneece G. Huftalin sent out an announcement to the SLCC community saying she is retiring next year. She said college officials are still in the process of searching for a successor.

“When I started as the Director of Academic and Career Advising in 1992, I never dreamed that 31 years later I would be writing this note as President,” Huftalin wrote. “I am incredibly proud of the journey we’ve undertaken together.”

Huftalin said one of her most treasured memories is when the Respectus area was gifted to her by the staff association. Every year of her presidency, a new quote of her choosing was engraved in stone and added to the Respectus. The area is meant for reflection and was inspired by her love of words, according to the college.

She included several quotes from the Respectus Area in her retirement announcement, saying she hopes the words will continue to encourage the community “to be a force for good.”

In the announcement, Huftalin listed many accomplishments the college has witnessed over the past decade, including strengthening student success, creating an inclusive environment, and becoming a model of “affordability, innovation, equity, and commitment to mission” for colleges across the nation.

“My thanks to all of you for your warmth, trust, and unwavering dedication to our students as we’ve pursued our collective goals,” Huftalin wrote. “We dreamt and we did – and even had some fun along the way!”

Huftalin worked in multiple positions in the college before being named president in September 2014, according to SLCC. Prior to coming to SLCC in 1992, she worked at several other institutions including Stanford University and the University of Utah.