Tag Archive for: #drracheldesmarais

Faith Dove

Town Talk 08/20/20: Community Mourns Death of Ian Simmons, VGCC President’s Son

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In a special edition of WIZS Town Talk aired live on Thursday at 11 a.m., community leaders expressed support and sympathy for Vance-Granville Community College President Rachel Desmarais. Desmarais’ oldest son Ian J. Simmons passed away as the result of a car accident on Tuesday.

In a joint statement released by VGCC Vice President Dr. Levy Brown and Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright, Desmarais is fondly referred to as “an outstanding leader, educator, community member, spouse, and mother who embodies both the mission and vision of Vance-Granville Community College.”

The statement continues, “The Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff are fully committed to ensuring that our students continue to receive an excellent education while our president takes the necessary time needed with her family. As her college family, we will get through this difficult time together while showing love and support for our president and her loved ones.”

Click here to read the full statement.

Community leaders called-in to Town Talk to express their condolences and to reflect on Dr. Desmarais, her role in the community and her family.

Dr. Jerry Edmonds – vice president of Workforce Development and Community Engagement at VGCC

“We, as a community college, are so saddened and devastated to learn of the passing of Ian. We appreciate all the outpouring of support. As a small community, this is really a testament to Dr. Desmarais and the fact that she is really engaged in our community.”

Edmonds said Ian was a student in VGCC’s Bioprocess Technology program, and that his younger brother Conall is a student at Vance County Early College High School, housed on VGCC’s campus.

“We have students on campus that are hurting because they sat side-by-side with Ian in classrooms and labs. We also have faculty and staff that taught Ian that are mourning over the loss of a student. We’ll get through it as a community and as a family.”

Eddie Ellington – mayor of Henderson

“I consider Dr. Desmarais a friend, a colleague and a community partner. Losing a child is the most tragic thing that can happen to any parent. Myself and the City of Henderson express our deepest sympathy to her family.

Dr. Desmarais, if you are listening, or if you listen to this later, please know you’re in our hearts, and we are here for you.”

Michele Burgess – president of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

“On behalf of the Henderson-Vance Board of Directors and staff, I wanted to say how sorry we all are. We are all in shock; it’s just tragic news. We offer her our sympathy.”

On a personal note, Burgess said Desmarais, who is a member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, often spoke about her sons, a bond the two women share.

“She, in conversation, even from the very first day we met, loved to talk about her family and her children. It was a close-knit family, and she often shared fun things about her boys. I have a son also, so we connected on that level as well. I just wanted to say how sorry I am about it.”

Gordon Wilder – chair of the Vance County Board of Commissioners

“On behalf of all the commissioners, I want to express our sadness and our shock at the passing of Dr. Desmarais’ son. We want to give the family our condolences and whatever support we can offer at this time.”

Nancy Wykle – publisher of The Daily Dispatch

“Dr. Desmarais has so quickly become such a fundamental part of our community fabric and has such a vision for where we can go. I think we, as her community family, grieve with her, and we want to wrap our arms around her and her family as they struggle through what no parent ever wants to imagine.

We want her to know that we are here in whatever way she needs us, and we are sending love, sympathy and prayers to her and her family.”

John Charles Rose – WIZS

“We just want Dr. Desmarais and her family to know how special they are here in this community. There are a lot of important partners here in this area. Dr. Desmarais and VGCC, in a lot of ways, are an umbrella that encases all of us because it is an institution of higher education that gives people opportunities to succeed in all areas. A lot of that would be true with any president of a community college, almost generically. Guess what? The word of the day for Dr. Desmarais is not ‘generic.’ The word of the day – in addition to ‘love’ and ‘support’ is ‘organic.’

Dr. Desmarais, the people that called [WIZS Town Talk] today care about you beyond your profession. Thank you for being here. On behalf of an entire community, we hurt for you today; we pray for you today; our love for you grows deeper today; we remember you today; we pray for your son and family today.”

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

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VGCC’s Statement of Support for President Rachel Desmarais

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Vance-Granville Community College Vice President Dr. Levy Brown and Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright have released the following joint statement:

The college community is deeply saddened and heartbroken to share that President Rachel Desmarais’ oldest son, Ian J. Simmons passed away as a result of a car accident on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. The Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and students at Vance-Granville Community College fully support President Desmarais and her family during this tragic time.

Furthermore, we send our prayers and condolences during this time of bereavement. And, we ask that you join us in offering up prayers and positive thoughts.

Dr. Desmarais is an outstanding leader, educator, community member, spouse, and mother who embodies both the mission and vision of Vance-Granville Community College. The members of our campus community are deeply committed to following the strategic leadership direction established by President Desmarais.

“My heart and the heart of the entire Board of Trustees goes out to the Desmarais family,” said VGCC Board Chair Danny Wright. “The Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff are fully committed to ensuring that our students continue to receive an excellent education while our president takes the necessary time needed with her family.”

As her college family, we will get through this difficult time together while showing love and support for our President and her loved ones.

Town Talk 02/04/20: Jobs, Removing Barriers Focus of Desmarais’ First Year

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Dr. Rachel Desmarais, president of Vance-Granville Community College, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Desmarais, who celebrated her one-year anniversary with the college in January, said she is pleased with the recent strides the college has made in workforce development, marketing and removing “barriers” to education.

Making it her mission from day one to “find the programs that could get people into jobs more quickly,” Desmarais and VGCC staff have worked with EMSI, Inc., a national firm that reviews job data, to provide information on the most needed types of employment in the local area.

“The number one and number two jobs of availability in this area were truck drivers and heavy equipment operators,” Desmarais explained of EMSI’s findings.

In response to the community’s need for truck drivers, VGCC, in partnership with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, now offers a truck driving program that gives students the training required to operate tractor-trailer rigs, obtain a Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL) and become professional truck drivers.

Orientation for the first nine-week program was completed last week with classes to begin Wednesday, February 12, 2020. Students will participate in a combination of classroom instruction, range driving and road driving.

According to Desmarais, 17 students are currently participating in the program and a waitlist has been started for others who are interested. “Local companies that need truck drivers are very excited about the opportunity to have local folks who can take those jobs.”

For more information on the truck driving program, please click here.

By changing the way the college approaches marketing, including getting back to basics with “going out, talking and listening to the people in the community,” Desmarais said the college is learning what local organizations and residents need while strengthening existing partnerships and creating new alliances.

“We are going back to some of the things we use to do such as offering classes out in the community,” said Desmarais. “We have started a new partnership and are offering classes at the Mary Potter School in Oxford, for example.”

Desmarais said VGCC staff are also focused on removing what is frequently considered “barriers” to education, with the recent announcement of the college’s partnership with public and rural transportation service KARTS being a prime example of this commitment.

“This program removes one of the larger barriers of education – students getting to and from college,” Desmarais said.

Thanks to a combination of grant funds and VGCC Endowment Fund donations, the KARTS service is provided free-of-charge to students attending all four VGCC campus locations – Henderson (Main), Louisburg (Franklin), Creedmoor (South) and Warrenton (Warren).

Students can make appointments for KARTS by calling (252) 438-2573 and then dialing “0.” Appointments can be made up to two weeks in advance. For more information on the KARTS program, please click here.

VGCC is currently piloting and tracking the success of another program aimed at reducing perhaps the largest barrier in education – the financial barrier.

“We know that students who get Pell Grants have a lot going on in their lives,” Desmarais stated. “They have a lot of challenges in terms of working and going to school, transportation, living arrangements, and sometimes they aren’t as successful at the school part as they’d like because life gets in the way.”

Explaining that students have to maintain a certain grade point average (GPA) to keep their financial aid, Desmarais said the college is offering a “Second Chance Scholarship” to those that may have fallen below the required GPA.

“We [VGCC] help connect them with other agencies to help them solve non-school problems that are getting in the way of them being successful here. Once we do that, we provide what we call a second chance scholarship for them to improve their GPA so that they can get back on financial aid.”

With all of this, Desmarais said the college is writing its narrative as a student-ready college. “We are going to be here for the students that we have. We are not a selective institution, but we are a quality-proud institution.”

To learn more about VGCC, please visit the college’s official website at www.vgcc.edu or visit its YouTube channel by clicking here.

To hear the interview with Desmarais in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

 

 

 

Town Talk 11/04/19: VGCC President Talks Reorganization, Power of Partnerships

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Dr. Rachel Desmarais, president of Vance-Granville Community College, joined WIZS on Monday’s edition of Town Talk to discuss college reorganization, expanded community outreach and enrollment growth.

The recent hiring of Jerry Edmonds as VGCC’s Vice President of Workforce Development and Community Engagement aligns with Desmarais’ mission, as she stated in a previous Town Talk interview, to “leverage the gifts and talents that our people have here in the college to create more short-term workforce training to support our existing companies and to be a recruitment tool for economic development.”

“We did some reorganization in the college to make sure what has been traditionally considered  corporate and continuing education, or non-credit training, was no longer the back door of our college,” said Desmarais. “We believe that needs to be front and center; we need two front doors.”

Edmonds’ background includes his most recent tenures as the Dean of Workforce and Economic Development and Small Business Center Director at Halifax Community College, along with prior leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson and IBM.

His familiarity with Henderson’s economic scene is also a plus, according to Desmarais. “Jerry’s parents moved here in the 80s and kept their family home here. Jerry owns a home in Henderson and is very familiar with local business and industry.”

Desmarais said Edmonds has hit the ground running in his new position by helping the college expand the Business Agriculture program operated through the VGCC Small Business Center.

As part of that expansion, VGCC will be offering CDL-A training for big rig truck driving beginning February 2020. This is part of a series of nine-week programs “designed to get people employed quickly,” according to Desmarais.

In addition to offering more programs at the college, VGCC is also expanding its community outreach endeavors. “VGCC is trying to get out more,” Desmarais said. We’re not expecting people to always come here. We are taking a critical look at how we can also be part of the community. It is something I believe in very passionately.”

Desmarais believes VGCC’s presence at various community events over the spring and summer  led, in part, to the college’s 3.75% increase in enrollment for the fall semester. Such an increase is significant when viewing figures that show a steady decline of enrollment over the past six years, she explained.

A focus on providing tuition-free college classes to local high school students also helped provide an enrollment boost this semester.

“We’ve been very intentional with our K-12 programs. We don’t just educate adults; we also partner with our school systems to offer education to high school students. That’s usually done through Early Colleges – we have one in each of our four counties. We also offer general Career and College Promise classes to any high school student whether they be in public school, charter school, home school or private school. These are wonderful opportunities for high school students to take college classes tuition-free,” said Desmarais.

The college has also been focusing on increasing marketing efforts for its basic law enforcement program, increasing the capacities in the health programs and streamlining the financial aid and admissions process for students.

In looking forward to the 2020 Spring Semester, Desmarais said the college will be expanding hours of operation to better fit the schedules of working students.

In addition to the recent inclusion of office hours on Tuesday evenings, the college will soon open at least one Saturday each month and will include additional sections of evening and weekend classes.

Desmarais also announced that VGCC, in partnership with KARTS serving Vance, Warren, Granville and Franklin counties, will be tackling one of the largest barriers to higher education in the local area – lack of transportation.

“Beginning this spring, we are going to be offering vouchers that the college will be paying for out of grant funds and existing endowment funds. If we run out, we’ll be asking for more people to consider giving to our endowment funds,” said Desmarais. “It’s about partnerships; it’s about leveraging our assets along with other assets in the community.”

Desmarais wants to ensure that lack of transportation and/or funding is no longer an obstacle for those wishing to receive higher education or job training. To ensure funding, in particular, was no longer an obstacle, the college created a “VanGuarantee” program as a way to assist students with money not covered by financial aid.

“If someone wants to come to Vance-Granville, we are going to find a way for them to come whether it is through federal financial aid or scholarship money from our endowment,” Desmarais said. “The VanGuarantee is that we are going to get you here!”

To learn more about the VanGuarantee or Vance-Granville Community College’s programs, please visit the website by clicking here.

To hear Desmarais’ interview in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.

VGCC Inaugurates Seventh President

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College formally welcomed its new leader on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, with an inauguration ceremony for Dr. Rachel M. Desmarais, the college’s seventh president, in the Civic Center on the Main Campus in Vance County. The historic occasion was also part of a series of events held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the community college, which was established in 1969 as Vance County Technical Institute.

Vance-Granville Community College formally welcomed its new leader on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, with an inauguration ceremony for Dr. Rachel M. Desmarais, the college’s seventh president, in the Civic Center on the Main Campus in Vance County. (VGCC photo)

Danny Wright, chair of the VGCC Board of Trustees, performed the ceremonial investiture of the president, who has been on the job since earlier this year. In his remarks, Wright said, “We take this opportunity to look back on the rich tradition we have of providing education and training to our community. At the same time, we mark the start of a new era, and consider all the possibilities of the future.”

He then presented Desmarais with a medallion, featuring the college’s seal, to represent the authority of the president’s position.

Making her inaugural address, Desmarais remarked, “Vance-Granville Community College has been shining the light of education and opportunity in Vance, Granville, Franklin, and Warren counties for 50 years. I am proud of this legacy of learning and service. Indeed, I am honored to have been called to this college — to serve these communities. My life’s goal is to ‘make a difference’ in whatever I do. Likewise, I believe this institution has made a difference and will continue to make a difference in people’s lives. As we embark upon the next 50 years of learning and service, we have an opportunity to renew our commitment to being a community educator, convener, and partner.”

Several dignitaries brought greetings on behalf of the state and the four counties served by the college: Peter Hans, the president of the N.C. Community College System; Archie B. Taylor, Jr., chair of the Vance County Board of Commissioners; Dr. Alisa McLean, superintendent of Granville County Schools; Angela L. Harris, Franklin County Manager; and Vincent Jones, Warren County Manager.

VGCC students also played key roles in the event. Tyshii Scarborough, president of the VGCC Student Government Association, gave welcoming remarks, and two recent alumnae of the college, Angelica Bridges and Evan O’Geary, presented musical selections.

Special guests included not only local community leaders but also presidents of several community colleges from across the state.

New VGCC President to Address Graduates as College Celebrates 50 Years

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Dr. Rachel Desmarais, who earlier this year became the seventh president of Vance-Granville Community College, will serve as the principal commencement speaker for the college’s graduation exercises on Friday, May 10, 2019. As VGCC celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, Desmarais follows in the footsteps of the school’s first president, Dr. Donald Mohorn, who was the commencement speaker at the first such ceremony, back in 1970.

Dr. Rachel Desmarais, who earlier this year became the seventh president of Vance-Granville Community College, will serve as the principal commencement speaker for the college’s graduation exercises on Friday, May 10, 2019. (VGCC Photo)

Jose Angel De Leon of Henderson, president of the VGCC Student Government Association, will be the student speaker.

Nearly 500 students are scheduled to be honored during ceremonies beginning at 6 p.m. at the gazebo by the lake on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. For those unable to attend the event in person, VGCC will broadcast a live video feed from the ceremony online on its YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/VanceGranvilleCC).

The VGCC Board of Trustees selected Dr. Desmarais to become the college president in December 2018, while she was serving as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Forsyth Technical Community College.

Once a student at Forsyth Tech, Desmarais became an adjunct instructor at the community college from 1996 to 1999 while also working in the private sector. She joined Forsyth Tech full-time in 2002 and served in a variety of academic and administrative roles over the next 16 years.

Jose Angel De Leon of Henderson, president of the VGCC Student Government Association, will be the student speaker. (VGCC Photo)

Desmarais earned her doctorate of philosophy in instructional design and technology from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., in 2015 after getting her master’s of science in information technology management from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2003. She earned a bachelor of music degree in voice performance from Mars Hill College in 1992.

She was also among fewer than 40 aspiring and emerging community college presidents nationwide who were chosen for the Aspen Institute Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence in 2017-2018.

De Leon is graduating from VGCC with a degree in Criminal Justice Technology. A graduate of Norlina Christian School, he has earned Dean’s List and President’s List honors at the college and has been inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

De Leon plans to continue his education at North Carolina Central University, where he will complete a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. His long-term plan is to earn his Ph.D. in criminal justice or criminology and become a college professor.

Students serving as graduation marshals will be Caroline Williamson of Bullock; Ebony Cotton of Franklinton; Hannah Edwards, Evin Swilley, April Zuniga-Trejo and Leslie Zuniga-Trejo, all of Henderson; Gricel Arroyo of Louisburg; Miranda Brown of Oxford; Rana Alashmali of Timberlake; and Ronnie Brodie, Jr., of Wake Forest.

 

April Zuniga-Trejo of Henderson

Caroline Williamson of Bullock

Ebony Cotton of Franklinton

Evin Swilley of Henderson

Gricel Arroyo of Louisburg

Hannah Edwards of Henderson

Leslie Zuniga-Trejo of Henderson

Miranda Brown of Oxford

Rana Alashmali – Timberlake

Ronnie Brodie, Jr., of Wake Forest

Desmarais Talks Economic Development, Ending the ‘Stigma’ of Community College

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Dr. Rachel Desmarais, president of Vance-Granville Community College, was on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the college’s role in economic development and her vision for the future of the institution.

Beginning her tenure as VGCC’s seventh president in January, Desmarais brings with her over 20 years of experience in the community college system.

Once a community college student at Forsyth Tech herself, Desmarais said she never would have imagined that she would one day become the college’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“I had a liberal arts degree already and needed real-world skills, and I got that at Forsyth Tech. I’m living proof of how you can transition from one to the other. Being able to use those skills to recruit students, recruit businesses, brainstorm with the best in town and make asks of large-name companies to try to recruit them to the area was a really valuable experience.”

It is this experience, in part, that Desmarais said she’ll draw on to help implement economic turnaround in the local four-county area.

Dr. Rachel Desmarais, president of Vance-Granville Community College (Photo courtesy VGCC)

“Coming from the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County area, I have experience working with the transition from tobacco and old-style manufacturing into healthcare and biotech innovation,” Desmarais said.

For their part in this transition, VGCC will focus on building new relationships with businesses and organizations while strengthening relationships with current community partners. “We work with partners such as economic development and the Chamber to be the glue between people looking for jobs and people wanting to hire.

I’m going to leverage the gifts and talents that our people have here in the college to create more short-term workforce training to support our existing companies and to be a recruitment tool for economic development,” Desmarais stated.

To build the educated workforce best-suited for local employment needs, Desmarais said the college is reviewing its current offerings of programs and courses, including where courses are offered and program completion times.

“Our focus is on degree alignment, making sure we offer courses in the right format and in the right locations.”

According to Desmarais, other barriers to education – lack of transportation, extreme poverty and the general “stigma” of community college – also need to be addressed to ensure that everyone has an opportunity for educational advancement and/or career development.

“We have to end the stigma of community colleges. Community colleges are very valuable; if you want to go on to get a four-year degree, it’s cost effective. There is a lot of evidence that demonstrates that students from community colleges are just as successful as four-year college students, and in some cases, even better prepared.”

Desmarais said she also wants to work with four-year colleges on possible transfer credit agreements of Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degrees.

Similar to current agreements for Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degree credits, this type of agreement would potentially allow students with AAS degrees to more smoothly transfer their credit hours earned at a community college to a four-year college.

As for the immediate future, VGCC has several exciting events planned for 2019 in celebration of their 50th anniversary, including the college’s dinner theatre performance of “Company” by Stephen Sondheim April 25 – 26, the annual VGCC golf tournament to be held at Henderson Country Club on May 7 and open house events at all four VGCC campuses.

While excited to be joining the college in its 50th year, Desmarais said she is even more thrilled to see her passion for education and for the community college environment reflected in the community.

“I love the passion that I see here at the college; the love that people have for the college and what it has done in the community.”

To hear the Town Talk interview with Dr. Rachel Desmarais in its entirety, click here.

State Board of Community Colleges Approves Appointment of Dr. Desmarais

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

The State Board of Community Colleges has approved the appointment of Dr. Rachel Desmarais as president of Vance-Granville Community College.

She will begin her tenure as the seventh president in the college’s history on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, according to Danny W. Wright, chair of the VGCC Board of Trustees. The action of the State Board came at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at the North Carolina Community College System offices in Raleigh.

Currently the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, Dr. Desmarais was selected for her new position by the VGCC trustees on Dec. 5. She was among nearly 90 applicants for the post.

The new president succeeds Dr. Stelfanie Williams who left in August to become the vice president for Durham affairs at Duke University. Dr. Gordon Burns, retired president of Wilkes Community College, is serving as interim president for VGCC until Dr. Desmarais takes office.

The State Board of Community Colleges has approved the appointment of Dr. Rachel Desmarais as president of Vance-Granville Community College. She will begin her tenure as the seventh president in the college’s history on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019.

Dr. Rachel Desmarais Chosen as Next President of VGCC

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Dr. Rachel M. Desmarais has been chosen as the next president of Vance-Granville Community College. With the final approval of the appointment by the State Board of Community Colleges on Dec. 18, she becomes the seventh president in the 49-year history of the college.

The VGCC Board of Trustees selected Dr. Desmarais on Wednesday, Dec. 5, following presentations by three finalists in a series of public forums from Nov. 30 through Dec. 4.

“The Board of Trustees has concluded Dr. Desmarais possesses the key attributes of an outstanding president that were identified in our search process,” said Danny W. Wright, chair of the board. “We are confident that Dr. Desmarais will provide: the visionary leadership to help our college expand and to promote economic development in our four counties, a powerful commitment to student recruitment and retention, the dedication to improving the lives of the people in our service area, the attention to facility planning and sustainability, and the articulation of our mission and vision to the college’s employees and the communities we serve.”

Dr. Rachel M. Desmarais, chosen as seventh president of Vance-Granville Community College.

The selection comes after a nationwide search that produced 89 applicants. She will begin work early in 2019.

The executive vice president and chief operating officer of Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem since 2015, Dr. Desmarais has been with Forsyth Tech in a variety of roles since becoming a department chair in 2002. Once a student at Forsyth Tech, taking Information Technology and Programming courses in 1994-1995, Dr. Desmarais became an adjunct instructor at the community college from 1996 to 1999 while also working in the private sector. She became the vice president of information services at Forsyth Tech in 2008 and moved to vice president of planning and information services in 2010 before assuming her current position.

She earned her doctorate of philosophy in instructional design and technology from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., in 2015 after getting her masters of science in information technology management from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro in 2003. She earned a bachelor of music degree in voice performance from Mars Hill College in 1992.

She was also among fewer than 40 aspiring and emerging community college presidents nationwide who were chosen for the Aspen Institute Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence in 2017-2018.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve and lead Vance-Granville Community College as its seventh president,” said Dr. Desmarais after being given the news on Wednesday night. “VGCC is a special place with students, faculty, staff, and board members who care for and take great pride in the college and community. I look forward to building on the strong value and culture already present in the college to cultivate a new shared vision for VGCC and its communities. Together, we will truly be Vanguards!”

Born in Sumter, S.C., while her father was stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, she moved to Alabama when her family returned home after the Vietnam War.

“I got to watch my dad march across the stage at Auburn University as an electrical engineer,” Dr. Demarais said. “My mother was a preschool teacher. I got exposure to education at a young age, and I saw the value of it.”

Her family found a new home in Orangeburg, S.C., for her father’s first job after college and then eventually Rock Hill, S.C., where she attended middle school and completed her secondary education.

Since her move to Mars Hill, N.C., at the age of 18 to attend college, she has remained in North Carolina, noting that her career has taken her from music education to an administrative assistant in manufacturing to information technology and ultimately to community college administration.

She still has a desire to teach and said she now blends that desire with her love of information and technology to help students find success in the classroom.

“I have a real passion for using data from our students to help them learn how to learn,” she said. “Students have jobs. They have their lives to lead while going to college. They have much to juggle. We have a responsibility to make sure that the education we offer them is as efficient and effective in its delivery as it can be.

“I’m really a strong believer in institutional effectiveness,” she added. “The data can be used as a tool to help our students succeed. We need always to use it as a positive tool. An educated society is a happier, more fulfilled society.”

Her work in the private sector includes a period from 1999 to 2002 when she worked with the Womble Carlyle Sandridge Rice law firm and later a subsidiary, FirmLogic, in Winston-Salem as a systems support manager and, later, project manager. She was assistant to the director of manufacturing and a systems analyst for Highland Industries in Kernersville in 1997-1999.

She also has been actively involved in community projects in the Winston-Salem area, including the United Way; Boy Scouts of America; Forsyth Futures, a non-profit community data research organization; WinstonNet Inc., a non-profit community technology initiative; the Center for Design Innovation; and the Board of Cooperative Ministries for the Southern Province of the Moravian Church.

Dr. Desmarais has an adult son, Ian, who is currently a biotechnology major at Forsyth Tech. Her younger son, Conall, who will be completing the eighth grade, is interested in attending an early college high school. Her husband, she said, plans to retain his job in the Winston-Salem area as he is able to do the majority of his work off-site.

The search process for the new president began in September when the Trustees selected the firm of Executive Leadership Associates (ELA) LLP of Emerald Isle to help the board create a profile of the ideal presidential candidate needed for VGCC, to guide the search process and to recruit and screen applicants. Applications and nominations were accepted beginning Oct. 8 with a deadline of Nov. 9.

Serving on the VGCC Trustees’ presidential search committee were Trustees Deborah Brown, chair; Herb Gregory, vice chair; N. Annette P. Myers, Abdul Sm Rasheed, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., and Sara C. Wester.

With the guidance of ELA, a consortium of former North Carolina community college presidents, the list of candidates was narrowed to five by the board’s search committee. On Nov. 19, at the regular bimonthly meeting of the board, the Trustees trimmed the list to three finalists who were invited to the college to meet with staff and faculty, county officials, chamber members and the public to participate in individual forums. Attendees were given the opportunity to provide input on each finalist via a form distributed at the forums or verbally to representatives of ELA in attendance.

The board met on Dec. 4 following the last of the interviews with candidates. A final decision on the selection was made at a continuation of that meeting, on Dec. 5, following the results of a vetting process conducted by the State Board of Community Colleges.

“After this carefully executed selection process, we believe Dr. Desmarais has the background and the experience to move us and our communities forward,” Trustee Wright said. “We do appreciate our two other finalists who showed such a strong interest in helping our college advance, and we owe much to the members of the public sector who also attended the forums and assisted us in this search process as well.”

The two other finalists were Dr. Quentin Johnson of Mooresville, vice president of Student Support Services at Guilford Technical Community College in Greensboro, and Dr. Melanie Thornton of Albany, Ga., vice president of academic affairs at Columbus Technical College in Columbus, Ga.

The new president succeeds Dr. Stelfanie Williams who left in August to become the vice president for Durham affairs at Duke University. Dr. Gordon Burns, retired president of Wilkes Community College, is serving as interim president for VGCC until Dr. Desmarais takes office.