Dr. Belinda Miles, First African-American To Be Appointed President of Westchester Community College

Dr. Belinda s. Miles was installed as the 3rd president of Westchester Community College. The first African American to be appointed to this prestigious assignment. Her inauguration was Friday, Oct 2.

Dr. Miles was appointed to the position of President of Westchester Community College in November. The State University of New York Board of Trustees voted to make the appointment official during their meeting in New York City, approving the Westchester Community College’s Board of Trustees proposed selection of the new president. Miles is currently provost and executive vice president of Access, Learning, and Success at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). This nationally known academic leader will start in her new position as the leader of Westchester Community College in January. Miles has nearly three decades of experience in higher education, primarily at the community college level.

“I am looking forward to this opportunity to engage with students, faculty, staff, and the community to advance a comprehensive learning and success agenda. Together we will work to expand Westchester Community College’s role in helping students achieve their academic and career goals,” says Miles.

“It is an honor to approve Dr. Miles’ appointment as the next president of Westchester Community College,” says SUNY Board Chairman H. Carl McCall. “The SUNY community colleges were founded on providing unlimited access to quality, affordable higher education and job training to all New Yorkers, and Westchester Community College has done this with widespread success for nearly 70 years. I am confident that the college will continue to prosper under Dr. Miles’ experienced leadership.”

“Dr. Miles is a passionate leader with precisely the right balance of academic and leadership experience, and she shares in many of the core values expressed in our strategic plan for SUNY,” says SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “I look forward to working with her as Westchester Community College and all of SUNY continues to increase access, completion, and success for students.”

“She is dynamic, INTELLIGENT and fierce,” Greenburgh Central School District Superintendent, Tahira DuPree Chase tells BW.

Dr. Belinda S. Miles is a passionate advocate for maintaining the community college open door access mission, improving student learning and success outcomes, and creating opportunities for learning across the spectrum of life. As president of Westchester Community College (WCC), Dr. Miles presides over the largest college in Westchester County, New York providing leadership for an institution that offers more than sixty transfer and workforce programs and includes the largest Division of Continuing Education in the State University of New York system. WCC educates and trains more than 26,000 students annually through an array of credit and non-credit programs and is SUNY’s only formally designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). She began her tenure at WCC in January 2015.

AJ Woodson

AJ Woodson is the Editor-In-Chief of Black Westchester and Co-Owner of Urban Soul Media Group, the parent company, Host & Producer of the People Before Politics Radio Show. AJ is a Father, Brother, An Author, Journalism Fellow (Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism), Hip-Hop Artist - one third of the legendary underground rap group JVC FORCE known for the single Strong Island, Radio Personality, Hip-Hop Historian, Documentarian, Activist, Criminal Justice Advocate and Freelance Journalist whose byline has appeared in several print publications and online sites including The Source, Vibe, the Village Voice, Upscale, Sonicnet.com, Launch.com, Rolling Out Newspaper, Daily Challenge Newspaper, Spiritual Minded Magazine, Word Up! Magazine, On The Go Magazine and several others.