Dianna G. Phillips was named president of Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland. The two-year public college enrolls about 6,700 students. Women make up 59 percent of the student body.
Since 2014, Dr. Phillips has been the chief executive officer of the Community College of the University of the District of Columbia. Dr. Phillips has previously held senior positions at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey, and Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York.
Dr. James J. Valdes, chair of the board of trustees of Harford Community College, said “Dr. Dianna Phillips is the kind of leader we envisioned when we launched our search for the next president of Harford Community College. Her breadth of experience in community college education and her background with the military is a strong fit with the College’s needs at this important juncture in its history. We are in an environment of rapid technological and societal change and Dr. Phillips’ challenge will be to exploit the opportunities that always accompany change.”
Dr. Phillips is a graduate of National University in San Diego. She holds a master’s degree from Buffalo State University and a doctorate in the social foundation of education from the University at Buffalo of the State University of New York System. She began her career in higher education when she served as the Base Coordinator for Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s workforce development program at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida.