NOVA Welcomes Newly Elected College Senate Officers
At its January 4 Special Meeting, the College Senate elected a new chair and vice chair, filling two officer vacancies. We welcome Amanda Wilder (college staff) as chair and Bethanie Perry (teaching faculty, MA) as vice chair! Both officers are settling into their roles and assuring continuity of senate operations and initiatives. Congratulations, Amanda and Bethanie!
Amanda Wilder, Chair
Amanda Wilder joined NOVA in 2014 as a counselor for Pathway to the Baccalaureate. She worked first with 10th and 11th grade students on college readiness and then as a transition counselor for incoming NOVA students. Currently, she is a counselor in the Office of Recruitment and Admissions. Ms. Wilder is passionate about bringing equity to access in higher education and helping first-time-to-college students navigate the transition to college. She also teaches College Success Skills. In addition to her role as both counselor and professor, Ms. Wilder has served on the College Staff Forum Council for several years and was elected chair of the CSFC this year. As senate chair, she hopes to maintain the open communication, transparency and drive toward equity that her predecessor established and is excited to listen to and serve the NOVA community. Outside of work, she and her husband chase two teenagers, and when she happens to find time to herself, she enjoys trying new recipes and training for half marathons.
Bethanie Perry, Vice Chair
Bethanie Perry joined NOVA in 2019 as an assistant professor of history at the Manassas Campus. Professor Perry is currently serving as the Manassas Campus Forum chair and as vice-chair for the College Senate. Her passions include sharing a love of history with everyone she meets and challenging students to meet and surpass the expectations of the classroom. In addition to her dedication to her teaching responsibilities, Professor Perry is full of energy and motivation to engage all of NOVA’s community in a shared governance model, providing opportunities to support one another and achieve the mission we all believe in. Outside of her passion for her work, Professor Perry is an avid board gamer and loves going on nature walks with her rescue dog.
The Senate would also like to extend our gratitude to outgoing Chair Aldous McCrory and outgoing Vice Chair Jack Lechelt for their dedicated service to the senate. Former-Chair McCrory has left NOVA to return to a career in law, and former-Vice Chair Lechelt has transferred from Alexandria to Loudoun Campus effective spring 2022.
The next regular meeting of the College Senate will be held Thursday, January 20th at 1 p.m., via Zoom. Meetings are open the the college community. Please email Secretary Laura Siko (LSiko@nvcc.edu) for the Zoom link and meeting information if you would like to attend.
Submitted by:
Laura Siko, College Senate Secretary, LSiko@nvcc.edu