Bridget Smith-Botos and Tracie Varitek take on interim leadership roles

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Left to right: Bridget Smith-Botos and Tracie Varitek, back to back with arms crossed.

At the State of the College in January, HFC President Russ Kavalhuna announced that Bridget Smith-Botos and Tracie Varitek have been named to interim leadership positions at the College, under the direction of Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Michael Nealon.

Bridget Smith-Botos: Interim Director of Academic Services

Smith-Botos, a research analyst for HFC’s Institutional Research and Business Intelligence team, is serving as the Interim Director of Academic Services at the College. She replaces Dr. Cristina Bailey, who became HFC’s first Director of Health, Education, and Human Services last summer.

Smith-Botos, who joined HFC in 2017, now reports to Vice President Nealon.

“Dr. Nealon describes my work as the business side of academics,” said Smith-Botos. “It’s an incredible amount of logistics and project management. One of my primary responsibilities will be helping the College implement the CourseDog platform, which is our new catalog and course management system. It’s a massive undertaking, but it will make us much more efficient when it’s completed.”

A West Michigan native, Smith-Botos resides in Royal Oak with Kevin Botos, her husband of 12 years. A graduate of Cedar Springs High School, Smith-Botos earned her associate degree in arts from Grand Rapids Community College. She transferred to Grand Valley State University in Allendale, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology. She went on to earn three master’s degrees. The first is in social sciences from the University of Michigan-Flint. The second is in non-profit management from Argosy University in Chicago. The third is in sociology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Currently, Smith-Botos is a Ph.D. candidate at Wayne State University, where she is studying sociology.

Since 2009, Smith-Botos has been in higher education. She has taught sociology at HFC, the Art Institute of Michigan in Novi, Davenport University, Baker College, the University of Phoenix, Schoolcraft College, and Monroe County Community College. For the Winter 2025 semester, she is teaching at HFC and Schoolcraft on top of her duties in her interim role.

“Teaching helps keep me connected to students, which I think is incredibly important for college administration,” said Smith-Botos. “I’ve worked in higher education for nearly 16 years and have served in a lot of capacities and in several different divisions of the College. I’ve spent the last three years studying student success at the College, and I’m looking forward to being able to help further the success of our students. It’s really nice to be able to pull from my research at the College, my time in the classroom, and my experience in advising to ensure our students' interests are at the center of our work.”

Vice President Nealon looks forward to working Smith-Botos. “Bridget’s unique skill set brings just the right balance of academic, pedagogical, analytical, and systems thinking necessary to help lead the transformational work that the Academic Affairs Division has undertaken to realize the priorities and goals of HFC’s Academic Strategic Plan,” he said.

Tracie Varitek: Interim Learning Lab Coordinator

A faculty member of HFC’s English Language Institute, Varitek is serving as the Interim Learning Lab Coordinator. She replaces Chardin Claybourne, who is now the director of the Henry Ford II Honors Program. She reports to HFC Dean of the School of Liberal Arts Dr. Brad Romans.

Her duties include:

  • Hiring and training tutors who will assist students in a wide range of subject areas and academic skills.
  • Tracking the use of the Learning Lab and its tutoring services by students.
  • Tutoring and assisting students who visit the Learning Lab.
  • Working with faculty across the College to identify unmet academic needs of students and trying to fill in those gaps.
  • Looking for ways to expand the Learning Lab’s services to meet the needs of the surrounding community and future students.

"I hope the Learning Lab will grow as a hub of student support,” said Varitek. “As students and staff have migrated back to campus over the last few years, I would love to see our center bustling with students studying, working together, gathering resources, and interacting with staff and faculty."

A Dearborn native, Varitek lives in Dexter with her husband Tom and their four children. An alumna of Edsel Ford High School, Varitek earned her bachelor’s degree in German from Western Michigan University. She also earned two master’s degrees. The first is in education/reading specialist from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The second is in teaching English as a second language from Spring Arbor University.

“I actually started my connection with the Learning Lab when I was a volunteer tutor during my first master’s degree program,” said Varitek. “I then worked in the Learning Lab as a reading tutor for my first 5 years here at HFC, along with teaching developmental reading and study skills classes. I know that many of our students need a little extra support and encouragement to be successful academically. My hope is to help get the word out about support opportunities that exist at HFC and develop new ways to assist students.”

Varitek began her career in education more than 25 years ago, teaching German and history at the high school level. She began working with ESL and developmental students at area high schools and in adult education programs. In 2005, Varitek joined HFC (then Henry Ford Community College).

“I am still teaching one of my classes in the ELI while serving as Learning Lab Coordinator,” she said. “It’s nice to keep that connection with faculty and students.”

Vice President Nealon sees Varitek's teaching and student-centered experience as key to this role. “Tracie’s educational background and diverse teaching experience have given her firsthand knowledge of how best to serve the needs of students at an open-entry learning community such as Henry Ford College – that for students to succeed, learning supports beyond the classroom must be accessible, relevant, and effective,” he said.