Westmoreland County Community College Names Dr. Kristy A. Bishop Interim President

June 27, 2024

Since 2015, Dr. Kristy Bishop has been leading Westmoreland County Community College’s Academic Affairs team through growth and change. Dr. Bishop has helped Westmoreland grow and expand the programs and credentials they offer. Her leadership afforded the college a favorable visit and re-accreditation through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. She also managed the implementation of the Title III grant which resulted in Brainfuse Tutoring, transition to D2L Learning Management System, the hiring of an instructional designer and the programming to train all faculty in online design and pedagogy. 

“We are very pleased to name Dr. Bishop as the Interim President at Westmoreland,” said Dr. William Kerr, Board Chair, Westmoreland County Community College Board of Trustees. “The board and I have had the privilege of working with Dr. Bishop and her team for many years. She has led multiple teams at the college and continues to grow key areas of the college that are a strategic part of the college's future.  We are fortunate to have her stepping forward to lead the college during this time of transition.”

Over the years, Bishop has led, developed, and tracked short and long term strategic plans for the college. She has pioneered new processes for program review, created a new faculty orientation program and year-long seminars with a mentor program to successfully onboard and retain new faculty. Recently, Bishop has assumed responsibility for an Events team and the Business Development team, both designed to generate new revenues for the college. 

“This is an exciting time to be a part of Westmoreland. We are always changing and developing our programs to meet the needs of our students and the businesses in the community,” stated Bishop following the vote by the board to appoint her interim president. “I believe the college is a vital part of the region and we are working hard to deliver on the educational needs of the residents. We are part of the higher education landscape of the area and we know the importance of our work.”

Bishop will become the interim president on July 1, 2024. She replaces current president, Dr. Tuesday Stanley who joined the college in 2014 and will leave the college on June 30. “Dr. Bishop is ideally suited to serve in this interim position,” said Dr. Tuesday Stanley. “She has an extensive and successful background in strategic planning and policy which will serve the college well as higher education continues to evolve. The Commonwealth has proposed different plans for higher education and Dr. Bishop is uniquely qualified to find the opportunities that will best suit the students and residents of the counties we serve.” 

Bishop currently sits on multiple state committees and groups including the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Oversight Committee and the Pennsylvania Department of Education Transfer Policy Focus Group. She has been on the Pennsylvania Performance Funding group and Master Plan Data Metrics group. She serves on the advisory boards for Adelphoi Village, Inc., the National Community College Benchmarking Project and several other committees in Missouri where Bishop spent the early years of her career. 

Bishop has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Missouri - Kansas City, a Master of Science degree in Psychology from Avila University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership from the University of Kansas.

Bishop and her husband, Ed, reside in Greensburg. They have two adult children, Viktor who attends Clelian Heights, and Vivian, who is currently in Pediatric residency and lives with her husband Matthew in Orlando, Florida. 

The Board of Trustees will continue their search for a president.