Monroe Community College President Anne Kress has been selected as president of Northern Virginia Community College.
In a statement on the college's website, Kress called it "a genuine privilege to serve as MCC’s president over the past decade."
"I have loved my time at MCC and in this community," Kress said. "My sincere appreciation goes out to every Tribune — students, faculty, staff, and alumni — for making MCC inspiring and to our generous community for supporting our students and our college.”
She said she plans to work with MCC’s leadership team, Board of Trustees, and SUNY "to assure a smooth and seamless transition."
An MCC spokesperson said Wednesday that Kress wasn't available for further comment.
Barbara Lovenheim, chair of the MCC Board of Trustees, praised Kress in a statement:
“The board congratulates Dr. Kress on her new appointment at Northern Virginia Community College and thanks her for a decade of exemplary service to MCC. Our college and community have benefited greatly from her leadership. Dr. Kress’s dedication to our mission and our students is among the reasons MCC is one of the nation’s top community colleges. As she begins the process of transitioning to her new role, the board is committed to guaranteeing a smooth leadership transition at MCC and looks forward to engaging the community in this process as it develops.”
Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo issued the following statement:
“I am incredibly grateful for the partnership and support I received from President Anne Kress during her tenure as Monroe Community College President. Working hand-in-hand, we delivered a beautiful new Downtown Campus for our community, launched our nationally-recognized LadderzUp job training initiative, and just recently began work to build a first-of-its-kind Workforce Development Center in Monroe County. While our loss is Northern Virginia’s gain, I know the contributions that Anne made to our community during her time here will carry-on for years to come. On behalf of a grateful community, I thank Anne for service to Monroe Community College and I offer her all the best as she pursues this exciting new opportunity.”
The faculty union at MCC approved a no-confidence resolution regarding Kress in November. It was based on numerous grievances, which Kress has denied, including lack of shared governance and an atmosphere of intimidation.
At the time of the vote, Kress noted that just 60 percent of faculty members who were eligible to vote supported the no-confidence resolution.