Jean Runyon

Jean Runyon is the sixth president of Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC), one of Virginia’s 23 community colleges. Dr. Runyon provides principle-centered, strategic leadership to set the vision and direction which advances the College’s mission, promotes student success, and strengthens pathways to graduation and meaningful careers. Her leadership emphasizes building and sustaining strong regional and community partnerships that align with workforce needs and expand the College’s impact across the region.

Dr. Runyon actively engages in regional and statewide initiatives, including service on GO Virginia Region 9 Council, the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development, Regional Innovation Corridor Advisory Group, President’s Council for University of Virginia Community Partnerships, Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Center for Nonprofit Excellence Board. Within the Virginia Community College System, she co-chairs the statewide strategic plan, Accelerate Opportunity, guiding efforts toward the goal of awarding 300,000 cumulative meaningful credentials by 2030 through expanded access and student success. Nationally, she serves on the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Presidents Academy Executive Committee and concludes her second term on an AACC commission in 2026.

Prior to accepting the presidency at PVCC in 2022, Dr. Runyon was the campus vice president at Front Range Community College's Larimer Campus in Colorado from 2015-2022. From 2007 to 2015, she worked at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, holding successive leadership roles in the Learning Advancement division and the Virtual Campus. Prior to this in 2000, she became the director of the Innovative Teaching Center at the College of Southern Maryland where she was also a professor. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Education with a concentration in Education Technology Management from Northcentral University, a Master of Arts in Education and Human Development from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Bloomsburg University.