Dr. Tashika Griffith has been chosen as Germanna Community College’s new president.
Griffith was chosen following a months-long search that attracted 80 candidates from around the nation. Virginia Community College System Chancellor Dr. David Dore said the search attracted exceptional candidates. He said he is excited to welcome Griffith to Germanna and knows she will provide the kind of dynamic leadership that will continue to make the college a cultural center and economic driver in the region.
Griffith is currently provost and chief campus officer of St. Petersburg State College’s Clearwater Campus located in St. Petersburg, FL. She has been in the position since February 2022, but has been affiliated with St. Petersburg College since 2016. There she has served as interim dean of the college of education, assistant provost and provost of the college’s downtown and midtown centers.
Previously, Griffith served as associate dean of students at University of Tennessee in Knoxville, assistant dean of students at the University of Miami, director of the office of multicultural affairs at University of Scranton and in the career and multicultural center at Virginia Tech. In addition to 16 years in adjunct teaching positions, Griffith was also a high school teacher and served in the university police department at Florida Atlantic University. She is currently an adjunct faculty member for the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership.
Griffith has a professional certificate from Harvard University, a bachelors of science degree from Florida Atlantic University, a master’s degree from Virginia Tech and an Ed.D. from Northeastern University, Boston.
“I have great admiration for Dr. Griffith’s commitment and extensive experience in higher education,” Ann Marie Anderson, chair of the Germanna Community College Local Advisory Board, said. “She is an experienced educational leader, and the local advisory board and I look forward to working with her.”
Griffith said she’s excited to assume the role of president at Germanna.
“I have been deeply impressed by Germanna’s strong sense of community and its steadfast commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and student success,” she said via a statement released last month. “I look forward to building upon this remarkable foundation as we continue advancing the college’s mission and impact across the region.”
Griffith will assume her new role Jan. 1 and will be the college’s seventh president. She takes over the position from Dr. Janet Gullickson who became Germanna’s first female president in 2017. Gullickson retired earlier this year. Dr. Van Wilson, Ed.D., has been serving as president in the interim.
