For the first time in its history, Montgomery County Community College’s 15-member Board of Trustees will be led by a Latina chair.

During a public meeting on Jan. 24, the trustees elected the officers for the 2022 calendar year with Varsovia Fernandez of Lower Merion Township as the chair, Lisa B. Binder of Whitpain Township as vice-chair, Marcel L. Groen of Abington Township as treasurer, Theresa M. Reilly of Abington Township as secretary and Margot Clark of Borough of Hatboro as assistant secretary.

“It is my honor to serve as chair of this remarkable institution and to support its mission to educate students of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status,” said Fernandez. “I look forward to continuing to collaborate with the Board, President Bastecki-Perez and the cabinet members, and the entire Montco Family, as we remain committed to supporting the success of all learners across our communities.”

Fernandez received the gavel from Frank X. Custer of Upper Gwynedd Township, who has served as chair since 2019. Appointed in 2017, Custer has a year remaining on his first term on the Board.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with this outstanding team of trustees, President Bastecki-Perez and cabinet members for the past three years as chair. Together, we have navigated some extraordinary times but always with the goal of doing what is best for students and the communities we serve,” Custer said. “I am thrilled that the Board has chosen Varsovia Fernandez to succeed me as chair, and I wish her the greatest success!”

“On behalf of the entire Montco Family, I want to congratulate the newly elected officers, and Varsovia as our new chair. Her expert leadership in business and the community and her commitment to equity and belonging combined with the dedication and diverse talent of the Board will benefit the College as we develop our strategic goals and objectives,” said Dr. Bastecki-Perez, MCCC President.

“I also want to extend our sincere Mustang gratitude and heartfelt thanks to Frank for his unwavering leadership, particularly throughout the challenges of the pandemic and institutional leadership transition, always placing students and their success at the center of every discussion,” Dr. Bastecki-Perez added. “We greatly appreciate the time he invested to be on our campuses both physically and then online during the pandemic to engage with all members of our Montco Family.”

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners appointed Varsovia Fernandez to MCCC’s Board of Trustees in 2018. She currently serves on the Finance and Student Success committees and held the position of assistant secretary in 2021.

She serves as co-chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Equity and Social Justice, which oversees diversity programs and reviews MCCC’s policies for equity, inclusiveness and culturally responsive practices.

She is a member of the College’s Core Team in the Achieving the Dream and University of Southern California Race and Equity Center Racial Equity Leadership Academy, a program that develops strategic racial equity plans and actionable solutions. Fernandez also served on the exploratory team for Challenger Learning Center, as the keynote speaker for the student leadership retreat and on the presidential inauguration planning committee.

Fernandez is a senior executive with more than 25 years of combined management experience across a variety of industries. She currently serves as the executive director of the Pennsylvania CDFI Network, where she leads a network of 17 community development financial institutions across the state. Previously she was the principal of the consulting firm, V² Business Advisers, LLC, and was the senior vice president and Philadelphia Market Leader at Customers Bank.

Varsovia Fernandez is an active member of the Greater Philadelphia business community and is dedicated to increasing diversity in businesses and organizations. Most recently, she helped organize a new $100 million fund, the Philadelphia Growth, Resiliency, Independence, Tenacity (GRIT) Fund, which will provide loans for Black and brown business owners in the Greater Philadelphia area and capacity-building support to the region’s CDFIs.

She previously served as the President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where she increased awareness for Latino professionals and businesses.

MCCC is governed by a 15-person Board of Trustees appointed by the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners to six-year renewable terms. The Board of Trustees establishes the necessary policies for College operations, and its aim is to serve the educational, workforce, and cultural needs of all students and Montgomery County communities.

The next Board meeting will be held on Monday, Feb. 7, at 4 p.m. All meetings are open to the public. For more information, visit here.