Randall VanWagoner

Dr. Randall VanWagoner has been president of Mohawk Valley Community College since July 1, 2007. He has spoken on community college campuses around the country and his book, “Competing on Culture: Driving Change in Community Colleges,” provides insight into how organizations can thrive in uncertain times.

Since 2016, Randall has been the co-facilitator of the national Strategic Horizon Network for community colleges, nine community colleges in seven states that bring teams of faculty and staff together twice a year around the country to learn about disruption, vibrant cultures, and equity outside of education. He is past chair of the New York Community College Association of Presidents and currently chairs the New York State Student Success Center Advisory Board. Since 2018, he has served on the national Policy Leadership Trust for Jobs for the Future, and recently became co-chair of the national Community College Workforce Consortium.

Prior to his time at MVCC, Randall was the chief academic officer at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha and the chief student affairs officer after serving as registrar and director of research & planning at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado. He started his career as a research analyst at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A Michigan native, Randall started college as a two-sport athlete at Mott Community College and went on to receive his bachelor’s in communications from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, and his master’s and doctorate in higher education, with an emphasis in community college administration, from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

He and his wife, Jennifer, who is director of Grants and Community Engagement at the Mohawk Valley Refugee Center, have been married for 29 years and have two adult daughters.