RICHMOND, VA – The State Board for Community Colleges has certified five finalists for the position of president at Brightpoint Community College. The finalists came from a national search that attracted 74 candidates.
“The next president of Brightpoint Community College will have an opportunity to take the college to its next level,” said David Doré, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. “A strong national pool of candidates has led to an outstanding group of finalists.”
The finalists, in alphabetical order, are: Andrew Bowne, John Boyd, James Edwards, William Fiege, and Tiffany Ray-Patterson.
Bowne
Dr. Andrew Bowne is president of Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas, a role he has held since 2020. Between 2012 and 2020, he worked for Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana’s statewide community college, in multiple roles, including senior vice president/chief operating officer and chancellor of the East Central and Richmond Region. Previously, he served as associate vice president for college advancement/executive director and as executive director for workforce training and economic development at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan, training and organization development manager at Shape Corporation, executive director of Association of Commerce & Industry, both in Grand Haven, Michigan, and other industry and higher education roles in Michigan. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geography/regional & urban planning, master’s degree in educational leadership, and a doctorate, all from Western Michigan University.
Boyd
Dr. John Boyd is president of Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, where he has been president since 2011. Prior to that, he was president of Colorado Northwestern Community College between 2006 and 2010. Previously, he served as interim provost and chair of the criminal justice department at Horry-Georgetown Technical College in Conway, South Carolina. He also has a decade of experience as a business owner, worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and served 12 years as an officer in the U.S. Army. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, a master’s degree in criminal justice administration at Oklahoma City University, and a doctorate from Clemson University.
Edwards
Dr. James Edwards is special assistant to the president/provost at Virginia State University, a role he has held since 2022. Prior to that, he was vice president of student services at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, North Carolina. Previously, he served at Tidewater Community College’s Chesapeake Campus as provost and chief operating officer (interim) and dean of students/chief student affairs officer, assistant dean of student services at Northern Virginia Community College, dean of enrollment management and student affairs at Virginia Union University, director of the Center for Multicultural/International Student Services at James Madison University, and other higher education roles in Georgia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and master’s degree in college student personnel administration from James Madison University, and a doctorate from NOVA Southeastern University.
Fiege
Dr. William Fiege is vice president of learning and student success at Brightpoint Community College, a role he has held since 2012. Prior to that, he was an academic dean and speech communication instructor at Germanna Community College, between 2003 to 2012. Previously, he worked at Longwood University as assistant athletic director for development, assistant director of alumni relations, director of forensics, and speech instructor. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Longwood University, a master’s degree in speech communication at Bloomsburg University, and a doctorate at Old Dominion University.
Ray-Patterson
Dr. Tiffany Ray-Patterson is vice president of student services and equity advancement at Germanna Community College, where she has worked since 2018. Prior to that, she worked at Virginia Peninsula Community (formerly known as Thomas Nelson) in several roles, including manager of enrollment services, director of admissions and registrar, and interim dean of enrollment management/Title IX Coordinator. She previously served as assistant director of the College of William and Mary’s Executive MBA Program and Admissions and as an admissions counselor at Old Dominion University. Ray-Patterson earned a bachelor’s degree in business, an MBA, and a doctorate in education, all from Old Dominion University.
The five finalists seek to become Brightpoint’s eighth president. Each will visit the college in coming weeks to meet with faculty, staff, students, and community members.
Brightpoint is a two-year higher education institution that has two Chesterfield County campuses that serve the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg and the counties of Amelia, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex. Brightpoint operates under the statewide Virginia Community College System.
