RICHMOND — Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges, announced today that Dr. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy will become the next president of Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC).

Currently president of Eastern Shore Community College in Melfa, Dr. Thompson-Stacy will move to her new post effective Jan. 12, 2009.

“Dr. Thompson-Stacy is an outstanding leader who has proven herself to be an extremely capable community college president,” said DuBois in making the announcement. “I’m confident she will do a great job at Lord Fairfax Community College.”

“This search produced some of the finest candidates for our college to interview,” added LFCC Board Chair Barbara Lee. “We are extremely pleased that Cheryl Thompson-Stacy will be our next president. She has met all the qualifications we specified in our search. We wanted someone with instructional experience, demonstrated success in fundraising and the ability to set vigorous academic standards.”

Thompson-Stacy joined the Virginia Community College System in 2006 as president of Eastern Shore Community College, after serving as vice president for academic and student affairs at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.  She also held top academic posts at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland and at Jefferson Community College in Steubenville, Ohio.

“I’m very excited to begin working with the Lord Fairfax Community College team, board and the local community,” said Thompson-Stacy. “LFCC improves the quality of life for our stakeholders by increasing the levels of educational attainment in our service area. I am proud to be named the fourth president of Lord Fairfax and look forward to contributing my skills and experience to help achieve continued growth and student success at LFCC.”

She holds a doctorate in education from the University of Sarasota (now Argosy University), a master of business administration and a master of educational administration from Kent State University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration, also from Kent State University.

The fourth president at LFCC since it opened in 1970, she replaces Dr. John J. “Ski” Sygielski, who left the college in June to become president at Mt. Hood Community College in Portland, Ore.  Dr. John S. Capps, vice president of academic and student affairs at Virginia Western Community College, has been serving as interim president.

Through its three locations — the Fauquier and Middletown Campuses and the Luray-Page County Center — Lord Fairfax Community College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont regions.         

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About Virginia’s Community Colleges: Created more than 40 years ago, the VCCS is comprised of 23 community colleges located on 40 campuses across the commonwealth. Together, Virginia’s Community Colleges serve more than a quarter-million credit students each year. For more information, please visit myfuture.vccs.edu

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jeffrey Kraus

Assistant Vice Chancellor for

Public Relations

(804) 819-4949

jkraus@vccs.edu