Germanna Community College announces new president

Virginia Community College System President David Doré announced Thursday that he has appointed Florida higher-education leader Tashika Griffith as Germanna Community College‘s seventh president, concluding a nationwide search.

Griffith, who begins Jan. 1, is currently provost and chief campus officer at St. Petersburg State College’s Clearwater Campus, a role she has held since February 2022. She was selected from a pool of 80 candidates.

“I’m excited to welcome Dr. Griffith to lead Germanna Community College, and I know that she will provide the kind of dynamic leadership that will continue to make Germanna a cultural center and economic driver in its region,” said Doré in a statement.

Griffith succeeds Van Wilson, who has served as interim president since July 1, following the retirement of Janet Gullickson, the previous president, who had served for eight years.

Griffith has been affiliated with St. Petersburg College since 2016 and has also served as interim dean of the College of Education, as well as assistant provost and provost of the college’s downtown and midtown centers. She previously was associate dean of students at University of Tennessee, assistant dean of students at the University of Miami and director of the office of multicultural affairs at the University of Scranton.

She is currently an adjunct faculty member for the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership.

Griffith earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Florida Atlantic University, a master’s degree in higher education at Virginia Tech and her doctorate of education at Northeastern University. She also received a higher education professional certificate at Harvard University.

In a statement, Griffith said she accepts the role with “deep humility and great enthusiasm. I have been deeply impressed by Germanna’s strong sense of community and its steadfast commitment to academic excellence, innovation and student success. I look forward to building upon this remarkable foundation as we continue advancing the college’s mission and impact across the region.”

Germanna was established in 1970 as part of the Virginia Community College System. It has campuses in Locust Grove and Fredericksburg and serves the residents of the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, King George, Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania and Stafford and the city of Fredericksburg. Germanna had more than 8,500 students enrolled at the college in fall 2024.