(Richmond)- Dr. Janet Gullickson will become the sixth president of Germanna Community College. That announcement was made today by Dr. Glenn DuBois, the chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges. Gullickson’s hiring caps off a process that began with a national search, which attracted more than 100 candidates, and finished last month with open-to-the-community visits of three finalists to the college.
“Janet brings outstanding qualifications to this presidency,” said DuBois. “She’s a dynamic community college educator with an impressive resume of significant leadership positions. I’m excited to bring her aboard and confident she’ll do a great job at Germanna.”
Gullickson has presided over two community colleges, including her current position as the president of Spokane Falls Community College, a position she has held since 2012. Prior to that, she served two years as the chief academic officer for the second largest district of the Community Colleges of Spokane. Gullickson served as the president of Front Range Community College in Westminster, CO between 2004 and 2005. She was also the interim president and provost in Minnesota of what is now called the Northeast Higher Education District, which includes Ely, Eveleth and Virginia.
She holds a doctorate in education from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree from South Dakota State University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota.
“This wasn’t an easy choice and that’s a compliment to the process and the finalists it produced,” said William E. Thomas, of Culpeper, the chair of the Germanna Community College local board. “The community really engaged with this process and they felt a strong connection to Dr. Gullickson. She really shares their priorities, and seems to understand the challenges we face in a fast-growing region. During our interview Janet indicated that she very much wanted to be the next president of Germanna, but only if she was a good fit. The responses from college employees, as well as many stakeholders was that they saw her as a great fit. We look forward to working with her when she arrives this summer.”
Gullickson will succeed Dr. David Sam, who has served as Germanna’s president for nearly a decade. Sam announced last summer that he would retire at the end of the current academic year.