Layla Merrifield, President
Layla Merrifield was appointed president of the Wisconsin Technical College System in September 2024. Prior to her current role, Layla was the executive director of the Wisconsin Technical College District Boards Association, an organization representing the trustees of the 16 Wisconsin technical colleges’ district boards, since 2015. Prior to that she served as a fiscal analyst for the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau then a Wisconsin Technical College System policy advisor.
Layla has an extensive background in System-wide leadership and advocacy, and intimate knowledge of local colleges’ operations, student success goals and challenges. Having served in a System-wide leadership role for the past nine years, she is well-practiced in maintaining consistent communication between and among various stakeholder groups.
Layla has a bachelor’s degree in politics from Hendrix College and is pursuing a Master of Education degree, an articulated pathway to Doctor of Education. She is currently the chair of the Community College Association Executives.