Lynn Reddy Joins NOVA as Assoc. Director of External, Executive Comms.

Northern Virginia Community College’s Office of Communications and Enrollment Marketing welcomes Lynn Reddy to the staff as associate director of external and executive communications. Lynn’s career has been focused on education and public service, and she looks forward to learning the ins and outs of NOVA and getting to know it well. 

“Before I came to NOVA, I was the communications director for a nonprofit that worked with hundreds of community colleges, so I’m excited to focus on just one.”

Lynn began her career as a reporter for The News and Observer of Raleigh. She then moved to D.C. and became press secretary for the House Armed Services Committee, moving to director of programs and community outreach for the Department of Defense Office of Public Affairs and as deputy director for the National Institute for Literacy. Most recently, Lynn worked as director of communications and media relations for Achieving the Dream in Silver Spring. 

For the last five years, Lynn has been a volunteer mentor for Affordable Homes & Communities of Arlington where she assists at-risk high school students in applying to college and realizing their college goals. Two of her mentees completed high school and are now studying at Virginia Military Institute and James Madison University, respectively. She is currently mentoring two high school seniors who are completing their college applications.

Her interest in community college was ignited years ago when the spouse of another Capitol Hill staffer taught at a community college in Wisconsin. He talked about his students with great admiration–adults in their 30s and 40s who had not continued their education past high school but had transformative experiences in his classroom, finding new identities as students, family members, workers and community members. They were inspiring.

When asked her goals and aspirations for her new role at NOVA, Lynn says, “my vision is that communications and marketing will play an essential role in supporting NOVA‘s vision to transform students’ lives and increase opportunity and economic mobility. I want everyone to understand the essential role NOVA plays in the Northern Virginia region.”

Raised in Maryland, Lynn holds a B.A. in English from Duke University; an Ed.M. from Harvard’s School of Education; an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School; and a certificate in storytelling for social impact from Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies. She has lived in Northwest D.C.‘s Dupont Circle neighborhood for more than 20 years; but she considers herself an honorary Northern Virginian, as one of her nieces has raised her own family in Woodbridge and Arlington, so Lynn has become very familiar with those neighborhoods. “I love Idido Coffee House in Arlington. The coffee is great, and the vibe is really friendly.” She says her two favorite baristas are NOVA students.

Lynn likes to spend time outdoors, hiking with friends and exploring the neighborhood. Her time at home during the pandemic, got her hooked on watching Korean novellas (K-dramas) on Netflix.

Take a moment to welcome Lynn to the NOVA community when you have a chance. She can be reached at LReddy@nvcc.edu.

Submitted by:
Kathy Thompson, Assoc. Director of Internal Comms., KAThompson@nvcc.edu