Dr. Theresa Felder Appointed President of Harford Community College

From Harford Community College:

The Harford Community College Board of Trustees has announced that Dr. Theresa B. Felder has been appointed the 10th president of the institution.

Felder will take over leadership of the College beginning January 1, 2021. She is replacing Dianna G. Phillips, Ph.D., who resigned from the College in February 2020. Dr. Jacqueline S. Jackson, Vice President of Student Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness & Title IV Coordinator, has served as Interim President throughout this year.

“The Board of Trustees unanimously voted to select Dr. Felder as the next president of Harford Community College,” said Board Chair Laura Henninger. “Her strength, breadth of experience, and her student-focused background align with Harford’s mission, vision, and values. We believe that she is the right person at this time to move the College forward.”

Dr. Felder comes to Harford Community College from Clark State Community College in Springfield, Ohio, where she most recently served as the Senior Vice President for Student Success. Prior to this position, she was the Vice President of Student Affairs, Administrative Dean for Clark State’s largest branch campus, the Academic Affairs Coordinator, a College Access Director, and a Workforce Development Coordinator.

Clark State Community College President Jo Alice Blondin, Ph.D. remarked that, “Dr. Felder has provided excellent leadership while at Clark State, and the Harford Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and students saw in her what we see every day: a passionate advocate for student success, a data-driven decision-maker, a strategic thinker, and an empathetic and future-focused visionary.”

Dr. Felder’s focus is on providing access to higher education for all students. She is especially passionate about increasing the number of college graduates from first-generation and low income backgrounds, which was addressed in her doctoral dissertation.

Dr. Felder is also active in the community. She has served on various nonprofit boards in the past, including the local Chamber of Commerce, and is currently serving on the United Way Board, the Economic Development Advisory Board, the Community Improvement Corporation, and the local Community Action Agency Board.

Dr. Felder started her professional career in corporate accounting and later became an independent consultant, specializing in job readiness and employment training. Dr. Felder completed her doctoral degree in Higher Education Leadership at Northeastern University, and holds a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Syracuse University.

Dr. Felder and her husband, Greg, are excited about moving to Maryland. They will be in close proximity to their son, Gregory, who lives in Largo, and works for the World Bank in Washington, DC. Their daughter, Taylor, is currently a junior at Butler University in Indiana. They will also be closer to Dr. Felder’s parents and siblings, who live in New York.

A nine-member committee led by two of the College’s Board of Trustees, Steve Linkous and Christopher Payne, oversaw the presidential search process. The Board of Trustees employed Storbeck Search, a division of Diversified Search Group, to assist in the search process.

The committee was composed of representatives of the College’s faculty, staff, administrator, and student governance councils, as well as the HCC Foundation Board and two Harford County community members. The College’s Board of Trustees assumed responsibility of identifying the final candidate for President.

Harford Community College, the anchor institution for higher education in Harford County, is centrally located on 352 acres near Bel Air, Maryland. The College offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs of study, as well as a variety of noncredit community education and workforce development courses.

As an open-access institution, Harford Community College promotes graduation, transfer, individual goal attainment, and career and workforce development. The College fosters lifelong learning, global awareness, and social and cultural enrichment. HCC’s top priority is the quality of education it provides its students. For more information, visit harford.edu.