Delaware County Community College President to Retire June 2023
(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA • February 9, 2022)—Delaware County Community College President Dr. L. Joy Gates Black has announced she plans to retire after six years as president on June 30, 2023. A native of Texas, Dr. Gates Black is Delaware County Community College’s first African American and first female president. On July 1, 2017, she officially succeeded the late Dr. Jerome S. Parker, who had overseen the College for 14 years.
“When I accepted the position as president of Delaware County Community College in January of 2017, I did so with the goal of remaining in this role for many years to come, never thinking that a global pandemic would impact my life as it has so many others,” Dr. Gates Black said in a February 11 memo to the College family. “Earlier today, I informed the Board of Trustees that I will be retiring as of June 30, 2023. This is a bittersweet decision for me because I genuinely love Delaware County Community College. However, the needs of my elderly parents and other family members have become more significant and those needs must take precedence. These individuals have been my strongest supporters throughout my career (they were emphatic that I come to DCCC), and now it is time for me to make them my priority.” Dr. Gates Black said she is proud of all that the College has achieved over the last five years, and she looks forward to what the College will accomplish in the coming year.
Under Dr. Gates Black’s leadership, the College has made many significant advances. She established the College’s first Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which houses the Center for Equity and Social Justice, which in July 2020—in the midst of the global pandemic—launched the College’s first Dialogues for Diversity series of free, online discussions about often difficult to discuss topics regarding race, ethnicity, discrimination and equity. The next Dialogues for Diversity discussion will be held from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., Tuesday, February 22 on the topic: “Equity & Mental Health—Collective Burnout; Collaborative Restoration.”
In 2020, Dr. Gates Black received the Athena Leadership Award from the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce as well as the Women in Leadership Award from the Main Line Chamber of Commerce. Last year, under her stewardship, the College became one of only 27 institutions nationwide to be selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration as a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education, for the College’s role in developing and preparing students for careers in the maritime industry.
In October 2021 she was named Pacesetter of the Year by the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations District 1, which includes many northeastern states and Canadian provinces. The Pacesetter award recognizes a community college president or chief executive officer who has demonstrated special leadership and support in college communications and marketing.
