Dr. Thomas A. Walker Jr. has been approved as the next president of Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, N.C. by the State Board of Community Colleges.
The WCC Board of Trustees selected Dr. Walker as its candidate on June 17 and submitted his name to the state board as required. The trustees will officially elect Walker the college’s sixth president at its regular meeting on July 26.
Dr. Walker currently serves as campus president of the Grand Island campus of Central Community College in Nebraska, a position he has held since 2014. Prior to that, he was the vice-president for student and enrollment services for all locations of the college, which serves 25 counties. He has also worked in higher education in Missouri, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
He is originally from Lumberton, N.C. and served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Dr. Walker has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His graduate degrees include a master of public administration and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Memphis.
He will take the reins at Wayne Community College on Sept. 1, replacing Dr. Kay H. Albertson who will retire July 30. She served in the N.C. Community College System for 33 years, including 19 at WCC and nine of that as the college’s president.
Dr. Gene Smith, WCC’s vice-president for academic and student services, is expected to be elected to be the interim president of the college for the month of August.
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, it serves 14,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 70 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves. More information about the college can be found at www.waynecc.edu.
Thomas A. Walker Jr.’s Biography
Thomas A. Walker Jr. currently serves as campus president of the Grand Island campus of Central Community College, a position he has held since 2014. Prior to that, he was the vice-president for student and enrollment services for all locations of Central Community College in Nebraska.
He has served in many roles in education throughout his career including vice-president for student affairs at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, Mo., founding executive director of K.I.P.P. (Knowledge is Power Program) St. Louis, dean of administrative services at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Mo., dean of student services and enrollment management at Davidson County Community College in Davidson and Davie counties of North Carolina and Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis, Tenn., as well as having served as a full-time faculty member and an academic dean.
Walker has been involved in several executive development programs including Harvard University’s Institute for the Management of Lifelong Education, the League of Innovation’s Executive Leadership Program, and the Lakin Institute of the President’ s Roundtable of the American Association of Community Colleges. He has also been a Fellow with the National Center for Education Statistics and Harvard University’s New President Seminar.
Walker hails originally from Lumberton, N.C. and served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His graduate degrees include a master of public administration and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Memphis.
In Nebraska, he has been a member of Grand Island Noon Rotary and serves on the boards of Heartland United Way, Spirit of Nebraska Girl Scouts, and the Multicultural Coalition.
In his leisure time, Walker enjoys fishing, hunting and “just about all outdoor activities.” Additionally he enjoys antiquarian book collecting.