Edna Baehre-Kolovani named President of TCC

Edna Baehre-Kolovani will become the fifth permanent president of Tidewater Community College (TCC), effective on or about July 1, 2012. She will succeed Deborah M. DiCroce, who retired last winter after serving as TCC’s president for the last 14 years. Peter A. Spina has been serving as the college’s interim president since March 1.

In announcing the appointment, Virginia Community College System Chancellor Glenn Dubois said, “I have known Edna Baehre-Kolovani for a long time and believe her to be an outstanding community college leader. She has a track record of setting the right priorities, establishing terrific community partnerships and applying ample elbow grease to ensure that her community college is vibrant and serving the community well. I’m excited for both Edna and the college.”

Baehre-Kolovani, the current president/superintendent of Napa Valley College in California, began her career teaching undergraduate German at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She has held leadership positions at Jamestown and Genesee community colleges in New York as well as Highland and Elgin community colleges in Illinois. She served as the president of Harrisburg Area Community College in Pennsylvania for 13 years beginning in 1997. Baehre-Kolovani, who speaks German, English and French, is in the process of learning Spanish.

“I am very excited about being able to serve Tidewater Community College as its next president,” said Baehre-Kolovani. “I was attracted to apply for the position because of the college’s national reputation for its many innovative activities, community partnerships and its energized students, staff and faculty. That includes the college’s leadership role in a $16 million, 12-state effort to infuse technology into medical health informatics education programs and TCC’s extensive commitment to serve active and retired military personnel. I look forward to building on those initiatives with the support by the amazing faculty and staff to make the college an even stronger player throughout Hampton Roads.”

Baehre-Kolovani’s career as a community college president includes extensive work in strategic planning, expanding and diversifying college enrollment and significant fundraising and public advocacy campaign success.

“I am thrilled that Edna Baehre-Kolovani has accepted the presidency at Tidewater Community College,” said LaVonne Ellis, chair of the TCC Board. “From the start of the selection process, the board identified Dr. Baehre-Kolovani as an exceptional visionary, whose proven leadership and experience will continue the tradition of excellence at our college.”

Baehre-Kolovani earned her bachelor’s degree from Päedagogische Hochschule in Heidelberg, Germany and holds both a master’s and a doctorate from the State University of New York in Buffalo.