SANFORD - Dr. Kristi Short is the new Central Carolina Community College Vice President/Chief Academic Officer. She succeeds Dr. Brian Merritt, who now is President of McDowell Technical Community College.

Dr. Short most recently served as the Director of the Texas Success Center, with the Texas Association of Community Colleges in Austin, Texas, a position she held since 2017. In that role, she led the effort to operationalize Texas Pathways strategic plan to support a statewide student success agenda and achieve equity in student outcomes. This required designing institutes and other professional development that guided colleges in the creation of data-informed action plans to implement, scale, and continually improve institutional reforms. Dr. Short also coordinated the Texas Association of Chief Academic Officers of the 50 community college districts in Texas and managed partnerships with national organizations including the Aspen Institute and Community College Research Center.

Dr. Short said she is delighted to join the CCCC family. "I was familiar with the college's excellent reputation from my previous service in the N.C. Community College System, and when I saw the Vice President/Chief Academic Officer job posting, I had to apply," she said. "Throughout the interview process, I was impressed by the faculty and staff who served on the hiring committees, and I got a sense they genuinely enjoy working here. There is nowhere I'd rather be than Central Carolina Community College."

"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Kristi Short back to N.C. and. in particular, to Central Carolina as our next Vice President /Chief Academic Officer," said CCCC President Dr. Lisa M. Chapman. "Kristi's experience matches well with the work of Central Carolina going forward. She understands the North Carolina Community College System and she has a strong background in leading efforts that target student success, working specifically with disaggregating data to address learning and engagement gaps in college service to the community. I know her experience as well as her passion for championing every student's success will help CCCC continue to improve its support of both our current and future students. I am looking forward to all we will accomplish with Kristi at the helm of our academic division."

Dr. Short notes that Central Carolina Community College is an innovative institution with strong leadership and an unwavering focus on student success. "The college has made great strides with programs like Carolina Works and My Academic Pathway, and the college's culture of creativity and community service will enable faculty and staff to build on its successes," she said. "CCCC has close ties to the community, and there are numerous career opportunities on the horizon that will enable students to gain employment in a field with value in the labor market and earn a family-sustaining wage.

"CCCC is an exceptional institution. The enthusiasm faculty and staff have for the college and the care they demonstrate toward students is remarkable. The college's vision, mission, and values, as articulated in the strategic plan, are thoughtful, integrated, and bold. Few colleges have CCCC's clarity of purpose. The college is doing so many things well, and has even more potential moving forward," said Dr. Short.

Prior to her work in Texas, Dr. Short served as a faculty member and in varied administrative roles at Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC) in Jamestown, working there from 2005-2017. Two notable accomplishments include the following:

• Directing the Center for Academic Engagement (overseeing a 70-member staff, including faculty and varied student support positions).
• Serving as the Implementation Director of Completion by Design, the first national guided pathways initiative, at GTCC.

Dr. Short has a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Higher Education (Appalachian State University). In addition, she has earned an Education Specialist in Higher Education, Community College & University Leadership (Appalachian State University), a Master of Arts in Communication Studies (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, minor Religious Studies (University of North Carolina at Greensboro).

"It's important to me to make the world a better place and to feel like I'm contributing to something greater than myself. I've learned I can best do that at a community college," said Dr. Short. "Nothing makes me happier than seeing my former students and advisees succeed. I stay in touch with many of them, and I love to see them thrive in their professional and personal lives."

Dr. Short has many hobbies and personal interests, including outdoor activities (horseback riding, hiking, camping, and kayaking), traveling (she has visited over 100 installations of the National Park Service and been to numerous foreign countries), going to concerts, baking, and engaging in the arts community.

For more information on Central Carolina Community College - which is dedicated to providing pathways to achievable dreams, visit www.cccc.edu.