Office of the President

President Conston has devoted her life’s work to the core tenets of education, service, and leadership. Committed to helping learners achieve success, Dr. Conston’s areas of expertise include planning, fundraising, community development, and strategic enrollment management. As president of Virginia’s second largest community college, she aspires to empower students toward academic excellence.

Dr. Conston became the sixth President of Tidewater Community College (TCC) in January 2020, and she immediately faced the challenge of leading the college through the COVID-19 pandemic. Determined to ensure student success and institutional stability, President Conston responded decisively to guide the college forward. She developed and launched a new strategic plan, Innovate 2026, with renewed values and a vision, “To be the community’s first choice for education, opportunity, partnership, and innovation.”

President Conston also prioritized identifying and removing barriers to success, with a view toward both curriculum and workforce students. Notably, the college’s premier workforce center has been expanded, thus increasing regional and national partnerships, as well as providing training in emerging and high demand sectors such as maritime, offshore wind, electrical transportation, and logistics. Under her astute leadership, TCC is quickly being recognized as a premier national leader in workforce training.

Since joining the Hampton Roads community, President Conston has been active serving on several boards and participating in leadership forums. Local engagements include the Hampton Roads Chamber; Norfolk Rotary; Downtown Norfolk Council; Greater Norfolk Corporation; WHRO PBS Television; Virginia Beach Visions; the Hampton Roads Workforce Council; and the Urban League of Hampton Roads. She also serves as chair for the development and implementation of the Virginia Community College System’s strategic plan, Accelerate Opportunity. Her leadership helped shape this statewide project with an overarching goal, “Award 300,000 cumulative meaningful credentials by 2030 across all regions through accelerated access and success for every student.”

An esteemed educator, President Conston currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Her involvement in SACSCOC has been a pivotal component of her career. She has served as an evaluator for the accrediting body, as well as a consultant, to numerous institutions of higher learning. Her unparalleled academic and professional achievements are nationally recognized. In 2019, she was selected as one of the 50 most influential women in Charlotte, NC. President Conston was featured as a recipient of the 2022 Virginia Business Women in Leadership Award by Virginia Business Magazine, and subsequently she garnered recognition among the 2023 Virginia Black Business Leaders. Recently, she was recognized as a leader in education by the Hampton Roads Community Action board.

In addition to a doctoral degree in higher education and a master’s degree in economics, President Conston holds a Master of Divinity from Hood Theological Seminary.

She is an avid reader, dedicated journal writer, a published author of several articles and books, and a devoted mentor. As an experienced runner who has completed multiple marathons and countless races, President Conston models her values of focus and persistence to achieve success.

She is married to her high school sweetheart, Clidell Conston, and they are the proud parents of two adult children, Darian and Mahari.