College Presidents
Douglas Montgomery, 1968-1972
Dr. Montgomery was the founding president of Blue Ridge Community College (Weyers Cave, Va.) from 1966 until his appointment as TCC president. He was a 20-year veteran of the United States Air Force, having served as a fighter pilot in World War II and Korea. He was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law School, and also received degrees from Florida State University. By the end of his tenure, TCC comprised the founding Frederick Campus, the beginnings of a Virginia Beach campus at Camp Pendleton, and a student body of 4,000.
George Pass, 1973-1991
Dr. Pass came to TCC from Florida Junior College, where he was executive vice president for central administration. A native of Alabama, his higher ed career included both administrative and teaching roles, and he taught junior high school in Tuscaloosa. During his tenure, the college expanded to a new Virginia Beach Campus, dedicated by former Gov. Mills Godwin, “father” of Virginia’s Community Colleges, and a Chesapeake Campus. Dr. Pass, who saw TCC grow threefold during his tenure, retired as president emeritus in March 1991. He died that October at age 55.
Larry Whitworth, 1991-1997
Dr. Whitworth joined TCC after 24 years with the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, Pa. During his seven years at TCC, the college launched its Women’s Centers, broke ground for the downtown Norfolk Campus, and opened the Visual Arts Center in Olde Towne Portsmouth. After leaving TCC, Dr. Whitworth went on to serve 13 years as president of Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Mich. Dr. Timothy Kerr was appointed interim president upon Dr. Whitworth’s resignation.
Deborah M. DiCroce, 1998-2012
At age 37, Dr. DiCroce became the state’s youngest community college president at Piedmont Virginia Community College (Charlottesville). A South Hampton Roads native, she had started her career teaching English at TCC’s Virginia Beach Campus in 1976. Later, she became provost of the Portsmouth Campus. At TCC, Dr. DiCroce oversaw unprecedented enrollment growth, fueled by the Great Recession, and expansion of the college’s physical footprint. She is now executive director and CEO of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. Dr. Peter Spina was appointed interim president upon Dr. DiCroce’s retirement in 2012, when she was named a president emeritus.
Edna V. Baehre-Kolovani, 2012-2018
Dr. Kolovani joined TCC after serving as president of Harrisburg (Pa.) Area Community College and Napa Valley (Calif.) Community College. At TCC she expanded high school dual-enrollment by 130%, raised TCC’s profile among area employers and advocated for innovations such as the zero-textbook-cost degree and campus child care centers. Dr. Kolovani spearheaded the college’s 2012-2017 strategic plan, “One College. One Voice. One Future,” as well as a wide-ranging academic, advising and recruitment reforms. Upon her retirement in 2018 after a 40-year career in higher education, Dr. Gregory DeCinque was appointed interim president.
MARCIA CONSTON, 2020-PRESENT
Marcia Conston is the sixth permanent president of Tidewater Community College. Dr. Conston began her career as the director of Institutional Research at Jackson State University. She went to Benedict College to become the vice president for Institutional Effectiveness. She was the vice president for Enrollment and Student Success Services at Central Piedmont Community College for nearly 20 years. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Jackson State University; a master’s degree from Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, North Carolina; and a doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi.