Dr. Sharon Morrissey, who was recently named interim chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, also serves as its senior vice chancellor for academic and workforce programs. She is responsible for state-level coordination of credit and non-credit programs, student success initiatives, research and reporting, federal program administration, and policy review and professional development for Virginia’s 23 community colleges. Morrissey also leads initiatives to increase student success outcomes across the VCCS, including transfer program realignment to support mapped pathways, stackable workforce credentials, and dual enrollment redesign. Morrissey is co-chair of the VCCS strategic planning task force, which is developing a new six-year plan to achieve equity in access, learning, and success for students from every race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic group.
Prior to joining the VCCS, Morrissey served as the executive vice president for programs and chief academic officer for the North Carolina Community College System, where she initiated, developed, and administered state-level policies and strategies to improve student access, enhance program quality, and increase student success. In North Carolina, Morrissey led several system-wide student success initiatives, including developmental education redesign, structured dual enrollment pathways for high school students, and development of a policy framework to support Completion by Design.
Morrissey is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Education Leadership, Policy, & Human Development at North Carolina State University. In 2006, she received the Department’s I.E. Ready Distinguished Graduate Award, and in 2014 she received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Morrissey also serves on several organizations' boards, including NC State University’s Belk Center for Community College Leadership, Old Dominion University’s Community College Leadership Program, and Jobs for the Future Policy Leadership Trust.
Morrissey previously served as president of Richmond Community College, vice president for instruction at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, and vice president for academic and student services at Fayetteville Technical Community College. She began her community college career as an English instructor at Central Carolina Community College.
