As Northern Virginia Community College faculty gear up for a new academic year, they are also welcoming a new leader on the Loudoun campus. Riley Dwyer recently began her tenure as the dean of communication and human studies for the 12,000-student campus in Sterling.

Dwyer will oversee 19 academic departments and is one of two deans on campus who report to Loudoun Provost Julie Leidig.

Leidig praises Dwyer as an outstanding addition to the campus’ academic administration.

“We are delighted to have Riley Dwyer with us in Loudoun, especially for the start of our busy fall semester,” Leidig said. “She is focused on keeping our programs and class offerings rich and diverse so that students can thrive throughout their academic careers at NOVA.”

Dwyer said NOVA’s strong reputation attracted her to the college. She said building new academic programs, strengthening existing programs and continuing NOVA’s growing enrollment are a few of her broad goals as dean.

“NOVA has a dynamic enrollment. We need to keep that momentum going,” Dwyer said. “Continuing to attract excellent faculty and students will keep Loudoun vibrant. Building partnerships that further strengthen the Loudoun campus is key.”

Before coming to NOVA this summer, she served as a professor and program lead of film studies at Moorpark College of the Ventura County Community College District in California. At Moorpark College, Dwyer was elected as academic senate president and was very active in academic leadership at the college, district, and statewide levels.
During her time at Moorpark College, Dwyer said, she worked on academic policies, procedures and organizational structures. She wrote curriculum for film studies statewide, developed district-wide budgets, reviewed academic and hiring policies and was involved in strategic planning and accreditation.

Dwyer holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in critical studies and writing from the California Institute of the Arts and a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash.

By: NOVA Fortnightly Staff

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