Clinton Hayes named new president at Southwest Virginia Community College

Clinton R. Hayes has been named the new president at Southwest Virginia Community College in Cedar Bluff, which serves Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell and Tazewell counties.

Hayes, currently the provost at Somerset Community College in Somerset, Ky., was chosen from a pool of 63 candidates nationwide, according to a press release from the Virginia Community College System.

His service as president at SVCC will begin July 1.

“We’re excited to welcome Dr. Hayes to lead Southwest Virginia Community College, and we know he will continue to provide the kind of dynamic leadership that has made SWCC such a cultural center and economic driver in its region,” said David Doré, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System.

Hayes has been affiliated with Somerset Community College since 2007, with classroom experience as an instructor in the biology department, and terms as an associate dean and associate provost, before being named provost at the school in 2019.

“I am deeply honored to be named the next president of Southwest Virginia Community College,” said Hayes, whose educational career started with an electronic technician diploma at Tennessee Technology Center, and includes an associate degree in science at Somerset Community College, bachelor’s and master’s at degrees at Eastern Kentucky University, and a doctorate in education at University of the Cumberlands.

“As a first-generation college student from a rural community whose life was shaped by the education and support I received at a community college, I understand firsthand the transformative power of institutions like Southwest Virginia,” Hayes said. “I look forward to working alongside faculty, staff, and community partners to build on the college’s remarkable legacy and invest in the future of our region by helping more students succeed in ways that transform their lives, support their families, and strengthen the communities they call home.”