The 2026 Annual Chancellor’s Retreat, held in Roanoke, VA August 5-7, was an opportunity to bring together members of the State Board for Community Colleges; local college advisory board leadership; presidents and executive teams from the state’s 23 colleges; the Chancellor’s Faculty Advisory Committee and Chancellor’s Staff Advisory Committee; and system leadership to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Virginia Community College System, reflect on this year’s accomplishments, and align around shared priorities for the year ahead. The theme for this year’s event was “Mission Possible II – Make It Matter.”
Board Chair Mark Hourigan delivered welcoming remarks. Hourigan told those in attendance that the State Board is focused on clear governance and the implementation of the One System Five-Year Plan.
In his keynote address, Chancellor David Doré celebrated the transformative impact of Virginia’s Community Colleges and challenged leaders across the system to build on six decades of expanding opportunity. Grounded in the vision of Accelerate Opportunity, he called on attendees to renew their commitment to helping every student create a brighter future for themselves, their families, and their communities.
The chancellor’s slide deck detailing recent VCCS achievements and outlining the organization’s path forward is available here. (PDF opens in a new tab)
A transcript of the chancellor’s keynote can be found here.
2026 VCCS Poet Laureate Connor Mancuso delivers his keynote speech at the Chancellor’s Retreat in Roanoke, VA. Mancuso says his experience at Virginia Peninsula Community College helped ignite his passion for writing and opened doors that might otherwise have remain closed.
