FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRINCE GEORGE’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT
LARGO, Md. (June 1, 2020) – The Prince George’s Community College Board of Trustees announced today the selection of Dr. Falecia D. Williams as the College’s ninth president. She will succeed Dr. Charlene M. Dukes, who has enjoyed a stellar 25-year tenure including 13 years as president.
Mr. Sidney Gibson, chair of the Board of Trustees said, “We had a highly competitive pool of candidates which resulted in the three outstanding finalists. However, when evaluated against PGCC’s highest strategic priorities, Dr. Williams consistently excelled. Given our spectacular record of local, state, and national achievement and our ambitious vision for PGCC, when compared to Dr. Williams’ demonstrated competencies, character, and courage, she quickly emerged as the obvious choice. Her professional experiences amplify her commitment to access, excellence in teaching, learning, and student success, equitable outcomes, strategic partnerships, and community engagement.”
Dr. Williams comes from the 68,000 student, Valencia College in Orlando, Fla., where she has served as president of the Downtown and West campuses that serve more than 30,000 students. Dr. Williams was responsible for providing academic, administrative, and fiscal leadership to support the vision, mission, and values of Valencia College. She led a team of 17 administrators including 15 deans and oversaw 13 academic divisions, the library and learning support services, two student service divisions, and two faculty senate presidents. She also managed a $41 million budget. Dr. Williams has been associated with Valencia College for over 22 years, advancing progressively in responsibilities including: Part-time professor, Student Success & Service Learning; Postsecondary, team lead; director, Dual Enrollment; director, Transition Program; dean for Workforce Development; assistant vice president for Workforce Development; interim provost for West Campus, then president; and president Downtown Campus. Prior to Valencia College, Dr. Williams served for 10 years as a K-12 educator and coordinator.
A noted expert in Pathways, PGCC’s highest strategic student success priority, as a campus president at Valencia College, Dr. Williams implemented a comprehensive $1.5 million Title III Pathways project to revamp student services, upgrade educational planning tools, pilot early alert protocols, and increase faculty engagement in coaching students for success. She also opened a Center for Teaching/Learning Innovation on the West campus as a place for faculty and staff to explore new technologies and build communities for innovation for learning. Her other noteworthy accomplishments include: the disruptive design, development, and launch of a new educational ecosystem model for a joint campus in partnership with the University of Central Florida; the development of baccalaureate degrees; accreditation for the B.S. Nursing and B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology and renewed programmatic accreditation with commendations for 11 health-related programs; opening a summer bridge program that resulted in 97 percent course success rate and 87 percent retention rate compared to 80 percent course success rate and 76 percent retention when students engaged in tradition enrollment; enrollment growth; empowering faculty ownership and leadership of Valencia’s learning and student success agenda; and garnering more than $30 million over five years to support promising practice, intellectual experimentation, capacity building, and faculty development.
Dr. Falecia Williams said, “I am deeply honored and excited to be selected as the ninth president for Prince George's Community College. For more than 60 years, Prince George's Community College has been locally and nationally recognized for its deep commitment to student success, community impact, and economic viability, and I am eager to immerse myself in this stellar community of learners, scholars, leaders, and partners. I'm earnestly dedicated to working collaboratively with all of the internal and external key stakeholders to continue to advance PGCC’s remarkable record of achievement and innovation.”
Dr. Williams is active in numerous professional, business, civic endeavors, and board service including: Visit Orlando; Central Florida Regional Housing Trust; Coalition for the Homeless; Lifework Leadership Orlando; Parramore Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan Development Team; Florida High Tech Corridor Workforce Development Team; Florida Department of Education Next Generation Curriculum Standards Committee and Subcommittee for Postsecondary Transition; the American Council on Education Postsecondary Transition Committee; and the Florida Association of Community Colleges.
Dr. Williams’ honors and awards are extensive and include: Orlando Business Journal Top Five Leaders for Economic Development; Orlando Magazine, Top 15 People to Watch; Orlando Magazine, 50 Most Powerful; Central Florida YMCA Achievers Education Advocate of the Year; Leadership Award, American Association of Women in Community Colleges; and Teacher of the Year, Eustis Middle School.
A noted expert in student success, Dr. Williams has presented extensively, including: “Equity-minded Teaching and Learning Models,” Aspen Presidential Fellowship; “Big Ideas Around Learning and Success for Equitable Outcomes,” Cuyahoga Community College; “Education as the Catalyst for Community Transformation,” Institutional Committee of Auxiliary Services Administrators Conference; “Equity Models in the Community College,” Achieving the Dream; “Program Learning Outcomes and Workforce Education,” League for Innovation Conference; “Relevant Performance Measures for Workforce Education Programs,” Florida Association for Career and Technical Education Conference; “Competencies for Teaching Distance Education in the Community College,” University of Central Florida Graduate Student Showcase; “Creative College Transition Programs: Recruitment and Retention Initiatives that Work,” Learning Conversations Conference; “Pathways to Leadership,” American Association of Women in Community Colleges Workshop Series; and “LifeMap: A Developmental Advising Model,” PBS Teleconference Live Broadcast.
Dr. Falecia D. Williams holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction-community college leadership from University of Central Florida, Orlando, a master’s degree in education, teaching and learning, from Stetson University, Deland, Fla., and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.
She also holds professional certifications from Stanford University as a Design Thinking Professional, and from Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management (IEM). Dr. Williams also completed an Aspen Presidential Fellowship at the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program.
The process to find a new president for Prince George’s Community College began last fall when the Board of Trustees appointed the Presidential Search Committee and launched a nationwide quest. The search culminated with a visit by the top three candidates to the Prince George’s Community College Largo campus during the week of May 11-15, when each participated in meetings with the executive leadership team, constituent and union leaders, and in a series of virtual meetings with students, faculty and staff, and the College’s external community including elected officials. The candidates also met with President Charlene Dukes and the College’s Board of Trustees in a manner compliant with local and state orders regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Williams will assume responsibilities for Prince George’s Community College in August 2020 prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
More information about Dr. Falecia D. Williams is available online.
About Prince George’s Community College
Named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security (2015-2020), Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) provides high-quality education and training for the progressive and career-oriented residents of Prince George’s County. From new high school graduates and career seekers to more seasoned professionals and senior citizens looking to enhance their skillsets, PGCC is comprised of students who represent a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and goals. Serving nearly 40,000 individuals annually, the College is the first choice for higher education for residents of Prince George’s County. Collaborative partnerships, responsive degree and training programs, and a commitment to student success enables PGCC to address diverse education and workforce development demands. For more information, visit the college website at www.pgcc.edu. Prince George’s Community College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104; (267-284-5000); www.msche.org. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.
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