Three finalists certified for Danville Community College presidency

The State Board for Community Colleges has certified three finalists for the position of president at Danville Community College. The finalists came from a national search that attracted 63 candidates.

The three finalists are: Dr. Muriel Mickles, of Lynchburg, Dr. Patrick Tompkins of Onancock and Dr. Jerry Wallace, of Hastings, Neb.

“The community is ready for Danville Community College to build on its success and reach a new level of results, especially in the area of workforce development,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. “A strong national pool of candidates has led to an outstanding group of finalists. Each offers an intriguing vision for the college’s future and impressive credentials and experience to act on that vision. The college is poised to get an experienced and skillful president to lead it forward.”

Mickles is interim president of DCC, a position she has held since May 2021. Before that, Mickles had served since 2015 as vice president of Students, Academics, and Workforce Development at Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg. She began her career at CVCC as a records clerk before being promoted multiple times, from student services specialist to counselor to dean of Humanities and Social Science, and to her position as vice president. She earned an associate degree at CVCC; a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Lynchburg College; and a doctorate from University of Virginia.

Tompkins is vice president for Academic, Student and Workforce Education at Eastern Shore Community College in Virginia, a role he has held since 2019. From 2013 to 2018, he worked at Thomas Nelson Community College as a dean and then provost at the Historic Triangle Campus. From 1993 to 2013, he taught at John Tyler Community College, where he was an associate professor. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Villanova University; a master’s degree from Iowa State University; a master’s degree of fine arts from Virginia Commonwealth University; and a doctorate from Old Dominion University.

is the campus president of the Hastings Campus of Nebraska Central Community College, where he has worked since 2019. Prior to that, he was dean of Workforce, Technical and Community Education from 2017 to 2019 at New River Community and Technical College in Beckley, West Virginia. He previously served in a variety of roles, including associate dean of Continuing Education in Odessa, Texas, resident life director in Montgomery, W.Va., and enrollment services representative in Muskegon, Michigan. He began his education career in K-12 schools in Michigan. Wallace earned a bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University; a master’s degree from Western Michigan University; an MBA from Maryville University; and doctorate from St. Thomas University.

The three finalists seek to become DCC’s seventh president. Each will soon visit the college to meet with faculty, staff, students, and community members.

DCC is a two-year institution of higher education under the statewide Virginia Community College System. DCC’s service area includes the City of Danville, Pittsylvania County, and Halifax County.