CEO on the move
Patrick M. Jones will become the sixth president of Bucks County Community College (Pennsylvania), effective July 1. He is currently chancellor of Penn State Schuylkill as well as a professor of music.
Since joining Penn State Schuylkill in January 2019, Jones has overseen the addition of in-demand programs such as nursing, cybersecurity and information technology, as well as upgrades to the campus’ physical plant, including new laboratories for chemistry, nursing and radiological sciences. The college also partnered with the business and non-profit community to develop and launch Penn State Schuylkill Co-op in fall 2020.
Jones previously served in various roles at different colleges, including: assistant vice president for academic affairs at Drexel University; director of veteran enrollment practice and director of the Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University; chair of the music education department at Boston University; and head of the music education division at the University of the Arts.
In addition to his academic career, Jones served for 30 years in both the Army and Air Force, retiring from the Air National Guard at the rank of Colonel. His assignments included serving as a musician, unit commander and chief of Air National Guard Bands and advisor to the Air Force director of public affairs.
New CEO
James “J.W.” Kelley has been named president of McDowell Technical Community College in North Carolina. He is currently associate vice president for student services at the North Carolina Community System Office.
Kelley described the role of a community college president as “being somewhat like a conduit, bringing the college together with local partners to serve the needs of not only individual students, but the larger community as well,” he said in a release. That includes stronger partnerships with public and private schools, business and industry, and state and local government, he said.
Prior to his current position, Kelley was vice president for student services at Randolph Community College (North Carolina) and division chair in humanities and social sciences, and director of admissions and counselor at Fayetteville Technical Community College (North Carolina). He has also served as associate minister of education and counseling at Fayetteville Christian Church, professor of counseling at Winston-Salem Bible College, counselor at Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (Ohio) and sergeant/squad leader in the U.S. Army’s Quartermaster Corps at Fort Bragg (North Carolina).
Interim CEO
Megan M. Coval will serve as interim president of Pennsylvania’s Butler County Community College (B3). She joined the college in September 2021 as executive director of the BC3 Education Foundation and external relations, helping to raise more than $7.5 million over that period.
Coval previously was vice president for policy and federal relations at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators in Washington, D.C. She also served as director of government relations for the U.S. Education Department’s Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance and as an admissions counselor at the Pennsylvania State University in State College.
Appointments
Christopher Reber, president of Hudson County Community College (New Jersey), will join the Diversity Scholars Network at the University of Michigan’s National Center for Institutional Diversity. The network is an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional community of more than 1,500 scholars from more than 200 institutions worldwide, mostly Research 1 universities. Reber was selected as a leader of applied research in student success and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and best practices, according to a release.
Summer Deaver is now director of Caroline Huber Holistic Wellness Center at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey. She previously was executive director of Yoga Peace Kula and chief of staff at the Marilyn Group.
Toya Webb is the new chief of staff/vice president of strategy at Waubonsee Community College (Illinois), as of April 1. She has served in various roles at Elgin Community College (Illinois) over the past 12 years, including most recently chief marketing, communications and government relations officer.
Kudos
Melissa Albright, vice president of marketing, public relations and enrollment management at County College of Morris in New Jersey, has been named to ROI-NJ’s Influencers: Women in Business 2024 list. Albright, the only community college leader highlighted on the business publication’s list, was noted for her leadership, specifically for helping her college secure almost $3 million in grants over the past two years.
