Four finalists have been selected for Laurel Ridge’s next president

Students, faculty, staff, community organizations and the general public are invited to attend a series of forums to learn more about the four finalists in the running to be Laurel Ridge’s next president.

Dr. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy is retiring Feb. 1 after nine years at the helm of Laurel Ridge.

The State Board for Community Colleges has certified four finalists from among the 102 nationwide applicants. They are Laurel Ridge Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Kimberly P. Blosser;

Kimberly Blosser

Dr. Annesa Cheek, vice president for school and community partnerships at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio; Dr. Julie Leidig, campus provost for the Loudoun Campus of Northern Virginia Community College; and Dr. J. Michael Thomson, college vice president and Eastern Campus president of Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.

“The Laurel Ridge Community College presidency is appealing to an impressive group of community college leaders from around the country,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. “The focus our colleges place on student success, our innovative approaches to providing short-term workforce training, and our stability make us attractive to high-

Annesa Cheek

performing education leaders seeking their next career step.”

Each candidate will individually attend two forums – one on the Middletown Campus, the other on the Warrenton Campus. During the forum, the candidate will introduce himself/herself, provide their professional background and goals, give a 10-minute presentation on a specific topic and take part in a 40-minute question-and-answer session.

Dr. Thomson’s first forum will be 2 p.m. Dec. 6 on the Middletown Campus, with the next at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 7 on the Warrenton Campus. The Middletown forums will be in the Carl and Emily Thompson Conference Center in the Corron Community Development Center, and the Warrenton ones in The Barn.

Julie Leidig

Dr. Cheek will have a forum at 2 p.m. Dec. 11 on the Middletown Campus, and a second one at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 12 on the Warrenton Campus.

Dr. Blosser’s forums are at 2 p.m. Dec. 12 on the Middletown Campus, and 10:30 a.m. Dec. 13 on the Warrenton Campus.

Dr. Leidig will be the subject of the final two:  2 p.m. Dec. 13 in Middletown, and 10:30 a.m. Dec. 14 in Warrenton.

Those attending the forums will receive the link to an online survey where they can provide feedback on how well they think the finalist would do as Laurel Ridge’s next president. The

J. Michael Thomson

Laurel Ridge College Board will receive the survey results before making a final recommendation to Virginia’s Community Colleges Chancellor Glenn DuBois.

Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With four locations — Middletown, Warrenton, Luray-Page County and most recently, Vint Hill— the college serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities include the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines.

Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.

About Virginia’s Community Colleges: Since 1966, Virginia’s Community Colleges have given everyone the opportunity to learn and develop the right skills so lives and communities are strengthened. By making higher education and workforce training available in every part of Virginia, we elevate all of Virginia. Together, Virginia’s Community Colleges serve more than 252,000 students each year. For more information, please visit www.vccs.edu.