Howard Community College President Daria Willis said she backs a measure by local lawmakers to expand the college’s board of trustees even as she tries to move past concerns about her turbulent tenure.

The county’s Senate delegation is looking to increase the HCC board from seven to nine members. The proposed legislation comes on the heels of three board members abruptly resigning, leaving their seats empty for months.

In a Dec. 5 Substack post, Willis wrote that she strongly supports the measure, which is viewed by some as a way of providing greater oversight of the college administration.

“I enthusiastically support and applaud this measure,” she wrote. “HCC prides itself on innovation, collaboration, and service to our students and community members. This initiative and others reflect the college’s mission and commitment to Howard County’s future.”

Willis then praised the three departed trustees: M. Shafeeq Ahmed, Sean Keller and Christopher Marasco. They have not spoken about why they resigned or responded to requests for comment.

She noted the three recently testified about the need for “diverse and competent leadership” to ensure future prosperity.

“Their testimony reflects their desire to see change for a board that, records indicate, has welcomed 48 trustees over HCC’s history and 16 persons of color,” said Willis, the first Black woman to lead the college. “It is a board seeking to reduce the gender gap in leadership, with 30 men compared to 18 women having served.”

Willis’ statements reflect her willingness to lean into the controversy over her tenure as president, which is entering its third year.

She has endured criticism, including from an anonymous message board with hundreds of posts, since shortly after her arrival in January 2022. Although most of the posts took aim at her leadership style, some referred to “racist hiring” or even called Willis racist, prompting a rebuke from the college’s spokesman and the full board of trustees.

Last month, The Baltimore Banner reported that about two dozen current and former employees and students described high staff turnover and a toxic culture that they said had negatively affected staff and student services.

After the article’s publication, Willis shared HCC’s rebuttal and commented, “I’m still not going anywhere.” Her contract recently was extended to June 2028, and she earns $325,000 annually. She said at a charity event this fall that she was staying put “unless you pay me out.”

Willis’ fate may ultimately come down to who is appointed to fill the vacancies on the board and any new seats.

Trustees are recommended for appointment by the county’s state senators and appointed by the governor for six-year terms. The board hires the college president.

Members of the faculty union say they’re eager to see fresh blood on the board.

“We look forward to new voices that are willing to listen to faculty and staff,” said Mari Wepprecht, a 13-year union faculty member.

Meanwhile, Willis, 40, continues to strike an upbeat note on social media. Recent posts show a trip to Italy — her second venture across the Atlantic in less than two months — as well as a holiday Lego creation and a photo with U.S. Sen.-elect Angela Alsobrooks.

She’s also sprinkled in recent HCC accomplishments, including presenting at the Middle States Commission on Higher Education’s annual conference and kicking off the college’s leadership development programming.

The HCC board unanimously chose Willis as the fifth president of the college, which opened in 1970 and serves more than 13,000 students. She previously was the president of Everett Community College in Washington state.

Although Willis has her critics, she has also drawn praise from some Maryland political figures.

Gov. Wes Moore, who spoke at the college’s spring 2023 commencement, said at a recent HCC event that Willis “is one of the best leaders that I know.”

After The Banner’s investigation, County Executive Calvin Ball wrote a letter praising the college’s accomplishments. Ball and Willis were part of a county delegation that traveled to Europe for an 11-day trade mission this fall.

The college “has made significant progress on improving student lives” since Willis’ arrival, Ball wrote. And, despite the recent claims and allegations against the community college, Ball said he was ”confident we will reach a point where unity will translate into even greater student success and a growing HCC.”

What does that unity look like? To faculty union members, it’s open communication between them and the administration. And for the administration to bargain in good faith.

“We want to be unified,” said Guy Bunyard, a 30-year union faculty member, on Wednesday. “We want to work with the administration. We’ve worked together [in the past] to solve problems, and that is drastically different now.”

The union has sent 30 proposals covering their entire contract to the college for consideration.

“We’ve had an entire contract submitted to them for review by the end of last spring. They’ve had all of summer and all of this fall semester to meaningfully respond, and they have not been able to do that,” said Austin Kingston, an organizer with the American Federation of Teachers, the labor union assisting HCC’s faculty union.

If HCC officials want to address issues and make the faculty happy, Kingston said, “they can sign the contract that we’ve given them and, if not, they’re going to be dealing with very angry faculty.”

While the union awaited a response, Willis recently posted a video montage on Instagram of a “PACKED” holiday party for faculty, staff and students.

“We have had an exceptional year because of your commitment,” she wrote.