President of College Assumes Leadership of State Association

President of Rockland Community College
Assumes Leadership of State Association

Suffern, NY - Cliff L. Wood, Ed.D., President of Rockland Community College, has been appointed President of the New York Community College Association of Presidents (NYCCAP), beginning June 2009.

Dr. Cliff L. Wood of Suffern has dedicated his career to community college leadership. His experience in community colleges spans more than three decades and five institutions, where he held senior level administrative positions. Wood has served as President of SUNY Rockland Community College since 2004. Prior to that, he held the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs at County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey, where he remained for 18 years.

Wood’s extensive civic activities include volunteer leadership with numerous organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters; Rockland 21C Collaborative for Children & Youth; the Holocaust Museum & Study Center; Leadership Rockland; Rockland Economic Development Corporation and more. He serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for Good Samaritan Hospital; Director/Treasurer of the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs and a member of the Executive Leadership Team for the American Heart Association Tri County Heart Walk.

The extraordinary leadership and outreach activities of Wood have earned him various awards, including the 2007 Helen Hayes MacArthur Award, the 2008 RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program) Spirit Award, the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s 2008 Edmund W. Gordon Community Recognition Award, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s 2008 Positive Image Award, the 2009 Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award from St. Charles A.M.E. Zion Church and, the Marty Mann Award from the Rockland Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies.

Wood is married to Wylene Branton Wood, who has taught English for 32 years, and is herself a recognized community leader and volunteer. They are the parents of four adult children and have two granddaughters.

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Rockland Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located 25 miles northwest of NYC. The majority of its students transfer to four-year colleges, and many find immediate employment upon earning their associate's degree or certificate. The College also offers others, from preschoolers to senior citizens, the opportunity to simply learn something new. Quality education...at a price you can afford.