New River Community College names Dr. Robert Brandon as next president

Dr. Robert Brandon has been named president of New River Community College, with his tenure at the school set to begin on Jan. 1.

Brandon currently serves as vice president of academic and student services at Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands, a position he has held since 2018. Before that, Brandon had served as dean of humanities, social sciences and education at Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, Tenn.

From 2005 to 2013, Brandon served as an associate professor of English at Rockingham Community College in Wentworth, N.C., where he would also chair both the English and student success departments.

“I’m excited about Robert’s appointment,” said Dr. David Doré, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System. “I am confident he will build on New River’s outstanding history of serving its communities and its diverse student populations and will lead NRCC into a new era as Virginia’s Community Colleges embark on a system-wide transformation to serve more learners in new ways.”

“Our months-long search yielded exceptional candidates, and we are grateful to all of the talented educators who expressed interest in the New River presidency,” Doré said.

Brandon earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Virginia Intermont College, a master’s degree in English at East Tennessee State University and a doctorate in English at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Bill Cunningham, chair of NRCC’s College Board, expressed confidence in Dr. Brandon’s leadership.

“I would like to congratulate Dr. Brandon on being named the seventh president of New River Community College,” Cunningham said. “I would also like to thank Chancellor Doré and the search committee as well as our local board for their involvement and commitment shown to the presidential selection process. We look forward to working with Dr. Brandon in continuing to build on the strength of New River Community College’s core values and the solid foundation we have built over the years.   We are pleased to welcome him to our college family and our community.”

For his part, Brandon is eager to take the reins, emphasizing that his leadership style will be one that’s grounded in collaboration and empathy.

“I believe it is the responsibility of everyone in a leadership role to build the kind of professional relationships that allow people to be put in the position to reach their maximum potential,” Brandon said.

Brandon added that he takes pride in his commitment to student success and looks forward to building on the college’s reputation for unrivaled service.

“New River Community College is the jewel of the valley; its track record of changing lives for the better is unparalleled. I’m extremely excited for the college’s future and for the students who look to us to for help in realizing their potential,” Brandon said.

Brandon succeeds Dr. Pat Huber who announced her retirement earlier this year after more than three decades of service at NRCC.