Don’t count Anne Kress as one of Greater Washington’s many pandemic presidents for a higher education institution. She, after all, had started a full two months before Covid hit.
But starting her role as the sixth president of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) in January 2020 still had its challenges — and bright moments. During the pandemic’s lockdowns, Kress led nine town hall Zoom calls every month to keep the campus community informed about its coronavirus response, but also to judge haiku contests, collect seasonal recipes, crowdsource Spotify playlists and facilitate early morning coffee chats.
“It was important to me to connect with and stay connected to our students, faculty and staff,” she says. “While we were physically remote, in many ways, we interacted more frequently than if we had been on campus, helping to close the distance.”
Kress’ venture into higher education began as an adjunct faculty member, teaching night classes at Santa Fe College…
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