Belle S. Wheelan, Ph.D.
President, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Colleges
Dr. Belle S. Wheelan has been a
tireless advocate for community
colleges all her life. A skilled and
highly respected leader, she has
helped to promote, direct, and
fight for the future of community
colleges throughout her 27-year
career. Her career trajectory includes
successive positions of leadership
with five community colleges in
two states. At Alamo Community
College in San Antonio, Texas,
she served as acting director of
counseling and then director of
developmental education and
then director of academic support
services. In 1978, she moved to
Thomas Nelson Community College
in Hampton, Va., to become dean
of student development services.
She subsequently served as provost
for Tidewater Community College’s
Portsmouth, Va., campus and chaired
the transition management team
between presidents.
More recently, Dr. Wheelan has
demonstrated her comprehensive
leadership skills. In 1992, she
became president of Central Virginia
Community College in Lynchburg,
Va., a post lasting six years. She then
moved to the presidency of Northern
Virginia Community College, a large,
multi-campus community college.
