Our trailblazer story
Northern Virginia Community College
Featuring Dr. Anne Kress
As the nation’s second largest community college in the U.S., Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) serves almost 100,000 students in credit and non-credit courses. NOVA paves pathways for learners beyond their institution, including through a structured degree transfer program, ADVANCE, with neighboring George Mason University. They are also leading the way by providing short-term credential programs through Virginia’s Fast Forward program in critical workforce need areas, such as health care and data management.
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About anne kress
President, Northern Virginia Community College
President of Northern Virginia Community College, an institution serving over 70,000 students across six campuses, Dr. Anne M. Kress focuses on fulfilling the college’s mission of providing equitable access to affordable and exceptional higher education and workforce programs, transforming the lives of students and advancing opportunity in the community.
She serves on the boards of the American Council on Education, Generation Hope, Capital Area Food Bank, Leadership Greater Washington, Northern Virginia Chamber, Northern Virginia Technology Council, GO Virginia-Region 7, and the Consortium of the Universities of the Washington Metro Area. She is a member of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Connected DMV Congress, and the Economic Club of DC. Kress has testified before Congress on community colleges and workforce development and served as a negotiator on federal higher education regulations.
She has been named to the Virginia Business 500 and Washington Business Journal Power 100, been recognized by the Washington Business Journal as a “Woman Who Means Business,” and is a graduate of Leadership Greater Washington.
