Vice President, Workforce & Continuing Education
Harford Community College (HCC), in Bel Air, Maryland, seeks a visionary, dynamic, and collaborative leader to serve as the College’s new Vice President for Workforce & Continuing Education (VPWCE). As a member of the President’s Cabinet, the VPWCE is responsible for aligning workforce development, continuing education, and credit pathways into a cohesive, high-impact system that supports enrollment growth, revenue generation, and the regional workforce. The VPWCE will join a financially healthy institution seeing year-over-year enrollment growth and will be a key member of a student-centered team committed to ensuring learners reach their goals.
The Institution: Since its founding in 1957, HCC has served as the anchor institution for higher education in Harford County, Maryland. Its main campus is located on 352 beautiful acres near the town of Bel Air. In addition to credit and transfer programming, and as part of its mission to expand education access, HCC offers workforce and training, continuing education, and community education programs to nearly 7,800 students a year. Currently, HCC delivers many of these programs at locations in Edgewood and Belcamp—traditionally underserved areas of Harford County. Recently, the College has begun development of a new Regional Workforce Development Center, which will bring together all workforce programs to one location along the Route 40 Corridor, an area whose development is vital to the economic health of the county and its residents. Additionally, HCC receives full-time equivalency-based funding for students in workforce and continuing education programs. Beyond its robust workforce and continuing education offerings, HCC delivers more than 140 affordable degree and certificate programs to more than 7,000 full- and part-time credit students. Through all of this, HCC promotes economic growth in Harford County by helping students increase their employability, supplying trained workers to county businesses and industries, employing more than 1,000 faculty and staff, and purchasing local goods and services. Due to this positive impact on its community, HCC enjoys strong support from the County and State.
HCC has established important strategic partnerships with numerous area businesses and institutions, including the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), which is the largest employer in the County. The College also enjoys an excellent relationship with Harford County Public Schools (HCPS), offering dual-enrollment opportunities to high school students and enrolling 30% to 35% of recent HCPS graduates annually. The College and HCPS have also partnered on a joint dual enrollment effort, which ensures all students from Harford County Public Schools graduate with the necessary skills and experience to succeed in today’s most in-demand careers. The dual enrollment program offers flexible and dynamic learning options, enabling students to explore career paths and areas of study while still in high school, with the option to continue their coursework at the College. This important partnership provides the structure for high school graduates to become the backbone of Harford County’s workforce. Additionally, Towson University’s Northeast Extension (TUNE) is located on Harford’s campus and offers transfer opportunities to students seeking bachelor’s degrees via 2+2 articulation agreements in eleven in-demand fields.
For fiscal year 2027, HCC is operating under a balanced budget of approximately $63.6M; it has an unrestricted fund balance of $48.9M, including a $4.1M fund balance for auxiliary enterprises. The Harford Community College Foundation serves as the philanthropic gift-receiving arm of HCC. Through donors, alumni, and community partnerships, the Foundation’s net assets of $22M support student scholarships and educational resources. Harford is beginning its eighth year as a member of the Achieving the Dream consortium (ATD), a network of colleges, coaches and advisors, state policy teams, and investors and partners, committed to helping all community college students access economic opportunities to achieve their dreams. The College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Its accreditation was reaffirmed in 2022, and its next self-study evaluation will be in 2029-2030. More information about HCC may be found at www.harford.edu.
The Position: Reporting directly to the President and serving on the President’s Cabinet, the VPWCE serves as the Chief Workforce Officer and leads strategy, partnerships, and institutional alignment for workforce initiatives. The VPWCE oversees the departments of Workforce Development academic programming; the Workforce Training Centers; Workforce & Continuing Education Operations; Adult Development & Literacy Programs; and Community Education and Personal Enrichment. Additionally, the VPWCE will be the primary contact for regional employers, economic development offices, and chambers of commerce; will lead the design and delivery of fast-track, customized training, seminars, and contract education for local businesses; and will lead the expansion of regional apprenticeship programs, student internships, and clinical placement pipelines. The VPWCE will also collaborate closely with all members of the Cabinet, particularly with the Vice President for Academic Affairs to develop seamless pathways, stackable credentials, and prior-learning credits between vocational and traditional academic tracks. Other essential functions include overseeing self-sustaining, non-credit budget lines, projecting annual
revenues and managing overall divisional expenses; collaborating with the Director for Grants to actively target, draft, secure, and manage federal, state, and private workforce grants; synthesizing regional economic data, employment forecasts, and skills gaps to sunset or launch instructional programs; establishing metrics to track enrollment completion, job placement rates, and post-graduation wage gains; and ensuring all technical and vocational programming maintains state compliance and programmatic accreditation and promotes equitable access for all students. With the opening of the new Regional Workforce Development Center (scheduled to be
operational in 2029/2030), the VPWCE will also work closely with the Finance and Facilities divisions to ensure the Center provides the necessary space and equipment to students in Workforce and Continuing Education programs. During this exciting time of growth, the VPWCE will also be responsible for ensuring appropriate staffing in Workforce and Continuing Education.
Qualifications: Preferred qualifications* include an advanced degree in Educational Administration, Higher Education Leadership, Adult Education, Business, or any related field; seven or more years of progressive senior management experience; business operations experience; supervisory experience or experience managing complex community partnerships; and experience with and/or knowledge of workforce development, continuing education, and/or related fields. Additionally, the VPWCE will be an excellent communicator who is able to engage and build relationships with colleagues from across the College as well as external stakeholders. The VPWCE will be collaborative and inclusive and will demonstrate an understanding of and affinity for the College’s mission as well as a commitment to student success. They will also have the capacity to promote the values of inclusion, civility, and principled leadership and will demonstrate a positive attitude.
*Candidates who do not possess the above-listed preferred qualifications but demonstrate a combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the duties of the job may also be considered.
Location: Located just 25 miles northeast of Baltimore, Bel Air and the wider Harford County offer a lively and welcoming atmosphere. Residents enjoy a moderate cost of living in urban, suburban, and rural settings, as well as access to numerous attractions. As the Harford County Seat, Bel Air is centrally located and provides a combination of urban amenities and small-town charm. The town is home to the Bel Air Festival for the Arts, the Maryland State BBQ Bash, lush parks and walking trails, unique museums that illuminate the County’s rich history, and a diverse array of restaurants and boutiques. Northern Harford County is a bucolic region with a distinct agricultural heritage where residents can visit farms to handpick seasonal fruit, explore vineyards and wineries, hike Rocks State Park, and attend outdoor festivals and events, including the Fiore Wine and Jazz Festival and the Darlington Apple Festival. The County’s southern edge sits along the beautiful Chesapeake Bay and is populated by waterfront communities that share a deep maritime tradition, including the historic town of Havre de Grace, which is home to the Havre de Grace Maritime Museum and Susquehanna State Park. In addition to its proximity to Baltimore, Harford County is less than two hours by car from the cities of Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Wilmington, Delaware. More information about Harford County may be found at https://www.visitharford.com.
Application: Candidates should submit a cover letter and résumé/CV to RPA Inc. at [email protected]. For a confidential discussion or to make a nomination, please contact Kira Heath, Search Manager, or Isaac Karaffa, Vice President and Senior Consultant, at the email address above. The review of applications will begin on July 31, 2026, and first-round interviews will commence thereafter.
Harford Community College is committed to the principles of Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity. It is the policy of Harford Community College not to discriminate against applicants on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law with regard to any employment practices. HCC is an EEO and ADA/ADAA employer that values, embraces, and supports diversity in the College community.
