Trident Technical College chooses new president

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The Trident Technical College Area Commission has selected Vicky Wood to be the college’s sixth president. Wood will begin her presidency on July 1, according to a news release from the college.

Wood currently serves as president of Washington State College of Ohio in Marietta, Ohio, a position she has held since 2017. According to the release, Wood is credited for transforming WSCO by enhancing community partnerships, strengthening academic programs and student support services, increasing both the WSCO Foundation and college’s financial position, and investing in personnel and facilities to advance student success.

“In accepting the presidency of Trident Technical College, I am honored for this opportunity to lead this highly valued, high-impact institution into the future,” Wood said in the news release. “I look forward to working with the Area Commission, TTC Foundation, and the college’s dedicated faculty and staff to increase student success, expand economic growth and prosperity, and advance Trident’s legacy of excellence.”

Trident Tech’s governing board, led by Chair Anita Zucker, started a national search for a new president after the college’s longtime president, Mary Thornley, announced her retirement in September 2023.

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The college received more than 70 applications for the position. The committee selected eight semifinalists, then narrowed the search to four finalists who visited the college in early April to tour the campus and meet with students, employees, TTC Foundation board members and the Area Commission, according to the release.

“It has been an honor to serve as chair of the Area Commission and the Search Committee during this important time in the life of the college,” Zucker said in the release. “On behalf of the Area Commission, I want to thank the college’s administration, employees and students, and TTC Foundation board members, who devoted a great deal of time and energy to participate in the process by meeting with the final candidates and providing valuable feedback. With the help of the entire TTC team, I feel we have chosen the best candidate to lead the college into the future.”

Wood led WSCO through a mission transformation from a community college to a baccalaureate degree-granting institution and a name change. She strengthened academics by adding multiple new programs and attracted investments of millions of dollars in facility and technology upgrades to support student learning, the release stated. She strengthened the student experience through implementation of Career Guided Pathways that included the creation of the Center for Student Success to expand support services and the establishment of a Student OneStop to enhance the student experience throughout the entry phases of enrollment. Wood’s political advocacy helped implement a state policy change to enable Ohio community colleges to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. WSCO was one of the first Ohio community colleges to offer the BSN.

She is a member of the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority economic development board, Frontier Local Economic Development Association, Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce board, and Marietta Noon Rotary. Her state and national engagement includes serving as vice chair elect of the Ohio Community College Presidents’ Council, advisory board and coach for the Ohio Association of Community College’s Leadership Academy, member of the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement’s Rural Guided Pathways Initiative, and advisory board for the Aspen Presidential Fellowship.

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Formerly, Wood served as provost and vice president of academic affairs and student services at Marion Technical College. She is a first-generation community college graduate who has a doctorate in higher education leadership from The University of Toledo, a master’s in education from Bowling Green State University, a bachelor’s in business education from Ashland University, and an associate in business from Marion Technical College.