Dr. Nicole Reaves Named Eighth President of SUNY Schenectady

The State University of New York Board of Trustees today approved Dr. Nicole Reaves as the eighth president of SUNY Schenectady County Community College. She will join the College on July 15, 2026. Current President Dr. Steady Moono, who has led the College since July 2015, is set to retire on July 14, 2026. 

Dr. Reaves’ more than 30-year career in higher education has centered on advancing academic excellence, partnering to build strong communities, and championing the life-changing mission of open access institutions such as community colleges. Her experience also includes 12 years of teaching in Allied Health and College and Career Readiness. Dr. Reaves will be the first female president of SUNY Schenectady.

Her selection as president of the College follows a national search that began in Spring 2025. A 15-member presidential search committee and executive search firm RPA Inc. led the national search process. Dr. Reaves also participated in interviews with students, faculty, staff, administrators, Trustees, and stakeholders.

Dr. Reaves currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Programs Officer at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, N.C., where she leads and supervises the provosts over the seven campuses, academic affairs, student services, workforce and continuing education, and effectiveness and innovation. Her leadership has driven significant institutional advancements including a major reorganization to support a one-college framework, better aligning industry-focused non-credit and credit programs to support student success, and the implementation of the college’s strategic plan which has resulted in improved student outcomes.  

Previously, Dr. Reaves served in senior leadership roles at Northern Virginia Community College (Medical Education Campus) in Springfield, Va., Wilbur Wright College in Chicago, Ill., and Westmoreland County Community College in Youngwood, Penn. As Provost of Northern Virginia Community College’s Medical Education Campus, Dr. Reaves completed an allied health and nursing strategic plan, led the development of a health sciences transfer degree, increased overall campus enrollment by 15 percent after multi-year declines, and established vital industry and educational partnerships, specifically partnering with Alexandria City Schools and George Washington University to establish the Governor’s Health Sciences Academy. She and her team also launched the “MEC Mobile” clinic to serve underserved communities while also providing much needed clinical opportunities for students. While at Westmoreland CCC, Dr. Reaves assisted the Foundation Board and the college President with the largest capital campaign in the history of the college raising $32.1 million, surpassing their $28.5 million goal.

Dr. Reaves earned her doctorate in higher education administration from North Carolina State University. She received both her Master of Arts in education and Bachelor of Science in public health degrees from East Carolina University. 

Dr. Nicole Reaves center and her parents Rebecca Reaves and Lennon Reaves, with SUNY Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Merryl H. Tisch, SUNY Board of Trustees Vice Chair Cesar Perales, and SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. 

Dr. Nicole Reaves with SUNY Trustee Candice Vacin, Chair of the SUNY Schenectady Board of Trustees Ann Fleming Brown, and SUNY Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges Valerie Dent.

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “We are pleased to appoint Dr. Nicole Reaves as the next President of SUNY Schenectady County Community College, and we are confident the school will continue to grow and thrive under her leadership. We thank President Steady Moono for his dedicated service to SUNY Schenectady, and his commitment to empowering our students. We look forward to President Reaves hitting the ground running and leading our students to even greater heights.”

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “SUNY’s community colleges are engines of upward mobility, providing students throughout New York State the opportunity to transform their lives through higher education. I am confident that Dr. Reaves’ extensive experience leading community colleges will help SUNY Schenectady continue on a path to a bright future. I want to thank President Steady Moono for his leadership, and I look forward to working with incoming President Reaves to advance the success of our students at SUNY Schenectady County Community College.”

Ann Fleming Brown, Chair of the SUNY Schenectady Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee, said, “We are thrilled with the selection of Dr. Nicole Reaves as the eighth President of SUNY Schenectady as she carries on a tradition of exceptional leadership at the College. Dr. Reaves brings decades of higher education expertise developing dynamic programs with proven results for enrollment and retention increases, creating pathways for non-degree and degree programs to transfer programs and careers, securing sizeable grants for advances in STEM technologies, and partnering with business and industry on programs leading to completion and economic mobility. We are confident that SUNY Schenectady will benefit greatly from Dr. Reaves’ breadth of experience, background in teaching, and her roles overseeing areas including academic affairs, student affairs, workforce, and continuing education, as we continue our important work of empowering our students in their pursuit of lifelong success while serving our community.”

SUNY Schenectady County Community College Incoming President Dr. Nicole Reaves said, “The dedication of SUNY Schenectady to student access and success and to serving all students resonates deeply with my work and experience. I am truly honored to serve as the next president of SUNY Schenectady and look forward to working alongside this remarkable college community to advance its mission and build upon its legacy of transforming lives and elevating communities locally, regionally, statewide, and globally.  My sincere thanks to Chairman Brown, the SUNY Schenectady Board of Trustees, Chairman Tisch, Chancellor King, and the SUNY Board of Trustees for your approval and the opportunity to serve.”