Roanoke: New Virginia Western Community College president begins July 1

Dr. Laura Treanor has been appointed the 5th president of Virginia Western Community College (VWCC), an appointment which will begin July 1.

Treanor’s selection concludes a search that attracted 61 candidates nationwide. Dr. David Doré, Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) announced her appointment today.

“Succeeding Dr. Robert Sandel, who has led Virginia Western for more than two decades of transformative service, Dr. Treanor will have a hard act to follow, but I am confident that she will build on VWCC’S outstanding history of serving its communities and its diverse student populations and I’m excited she has accepted the post. Our months-long search attracted exceptional candidates, and we are grateful to all of the talented educators who expressed interest in the Virginia Western presidency,” Doré said.

Since 2018, Treanor has served as Provost, Senior Vice President for Instructional Services, and Dean of Faculty at Vincennes University Vincennes, Indiana. She was previously at Baker College in Flint, Michigan where she served in the roles of System Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Vice President for Academics, Vice President and for Academics/Chief Academic Officer and Dean of General Education.

Treanor has faculty experience as Associate Professor at Roanoke College, Assistant Professor at West Virginia University and Associate Professor at Barton College.

She earned her bachelor’s at Virginia Tech, master’s at The Ohio State University, and Doctor of Education Degree at Virginia Tech.

“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Laura Treanor to the Virginia Western and Roanoke Valley communities. Dr. Treanor is an experienced educational leader well-equipped to take the college to new heights in regional workforce development through academic, training and credentialing excellence,” VWCC local advisory board Chair Todd Putney said.

Treanor said she is thrilled to return home to where she has deep ties in Virginia and the Roanoke Valley, and where she can contribute to the future of the community.

“This is a time of incredible opportunity for Virginia Western Community College with so many good things going on in the region. I look forward to working with our dedicated faculty, staff, Local Advisory and Educational Foundation boards as well as our outstanding community partners to honor Dr. Sandel’s proud legacy while also leading the college boldly into the future,” Treanor said.

On a 70-acre campus in southwest Roanoke, VWCC is a two-year public institution of higher education operating under the Virginia Community College System and serving Roanoke, Salem, Roanoke County, Craig County, northern Franklin County, and southern Botetourt County. VWCC was established in 1966 and has grown from an initial enrollment of 1,352 to more than 8,500 students in credit courses and more than 1,200 enrollments in fast-track workforce and continuing education courses.