Deborah Wright has been named Vice President of Continuing Education and Economic & Workforce Development. She began her duties Jan. 2 after Dr. Shelley White left the position to be President at Haywood Community College.
Wright is a former WNC resident who is looking forward to returning to the area. She spent 14 years with Montreat College, where she helped launch and lead the expansion of the School of Professional and Adult Studies as the inaugural Charlotte campus director and later as Vice President for Adult Studies.
Wright has been a passionate advocate for adult learners throughout her extensive career. In her most recent position as Dean of the College of Professional and Continuing Education at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Deborah collaborated with the City of Boston and Bunker Hill Community College to secure a three-million-dollar federal grant to expand workforce development training and apprenticeship programs in the city. She also served on the Massachusetts Apprenticeship Advisory Board.
Wright grew up in a military family and has traveled extensively. She has a bachelor’s degree from the California Institute of Art, a master’s in business administration, and is pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership.