Provided by Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA)
Governor-elect Ralph Northam is preparing to take office in January by working with a number of transition committees as Governor Terry McAuliffe prepares to vacate the position.
Northern Virginia Community College President Scott Ralls, College Board Chair Todd Rowley and Vice President of Workforce Development Steve Partridge were recently appointed to various committees as the Commonwealth of Virginia makes its transition. Ralls, Rowley and Partridge will serve on the Higher Education Committee, the Commerce and Defense and Veteran Affairs committees and the Workforce Development Committee, respectively.
“Filling jobs is what NOVA does,” Rowley said. “The college is perfectly positioned to meet the staffing needs of our region’s “new collar” economy; from cybersecurity to health care.”
“NOVA is ready to play a lead role in advancing plans to better pair higher education and workforce development,” Ralls said. “This college is an increasingly vital asset. We link Northern Virginians eager for family-supporting careers and employers struggling to fill positions with qualified workers.”
According to Stanford Study, NOVA is among the best community colleges in the U.S. at moving students from the bottom to the top economic ranks in the years following graduation. The College is the 14th largest college or university in the nation and the ninth most diverse. NOVA has one of the highest numbers of information technology graduates each year and serves a region where the workforce is continually looking for skilled candidates to fill IT and cybersecurity positions.
“We are excited that workforce development is a top issue for the governor-elect,” Partridge said. “We look forward to proposing innovative solutions that help ensure all Virginians have the skills to compete in today’s technology driven economy.”
Governor-elect Northam served as an Army doctor and business owner before becoming Virginia’s lieutenant governor in 2014. Northam will be officially sworn in as the governor of Virginia Jan. 13, 2018. As a leading higher education institution in the Commonwealth and in the Virginia Community College System, NOVA representatives are looking forward to contributing to each committee that will ultimately assist in moving Virginia forward.
