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Biography
 Dr. Anne M. Kress, whose passion for student success and learning runs parallel with her commitment to community partnerships and academic excellence, will become Monroe Community College's fifth president on July 6.
Dr. Kress, provost and vice president of academic affairs since 2005 at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Fla., brings to MCC more than 20 years of experience as an administrator and educator in higher education.
She has spent most of her career at Santa Fe, previously serving as associate vice president for information management and education technologies and as chair of the English Department.
In her current role, she handles much of the day-to-day operations of the college in the president's absence. In addition to an annual operating budget of more than $33 million in Santa Fe's largest division, she also oversees more than 250 full-time faculty at one campus, five centers and an online entity.
Her in-depth knowledge of the academic programs, coupled with her ability to identify community needs and educate potential donors about those needs, has contributed to many successful collaborations in the community - and to new programs. For example, under her leadership the college secured funding from businesses, schools, government entities, foundations and workforce boards for a number of significant facility projects.
"I have had great success working with workforce boards and the chamber of commerce,' Dr. Kress said. "The business of running a college frequently intersects with business interests. My role has been to negotiate these intersections so that the academic enterprise is always in the center, rather than on the periphery, and so that we fulfill our mission of meeting community needs.'
Dr. Kress has written and directed major grants from the U.S. Department of Education and other foundations and state agencies, including projects to develop a complete suite of online student services and transform academic scheduling.
Her dedication to online instruction goes back to the early 1990s when she was one of the first faculty at Santa Fe to teach online via e-mail. Under her direction, the college bolstered online classes and expanded online services for students to include live-chat advising, tutoring and reference librarian services.
Her other achievements include reviving and enhancing several programs and initiatives, such as honors, international education, fine arts, sustainability, and research in undergraduate education.
As Santa Fe's representative to the League for Innovation in the Community College since 2005, Dr. Kress has worked with MCC representatives on many occasions. The League is an international organization committed to improving community colleges through innovation, experimentation and institutional transformation. MCC and Santa Fe are two of only 19 board members.
During her interactions with MCC, Dr. Kress has "witnessed excellence and innovation in action at MCC.'
Dr. Kress draws many similarities between MCC and Santa Fe, including a commitment to community outreach, student access, and dedication to student success and innovation. Santa Fe's enrollment is 16,500; MCC's is 18,100.
"MCC is a high-quality institution. When I talk to the students and faculty, I see their love for MCC,' Dr. Kress said. "I think I can add a vision to lead the institution forward to meet new student expectations, changing technologies, changing programming demands and a greater emphasis on workforce development.'
A native of Milwaukee, Wis., Dr. Kress earned her degrees from the University of Florida, where she started her career as a teaching assistant in English. Dr. Kress received a doctoral degree in higher education administration, master's and bachelor's degrees in English, and a bachelor's with honors in finance.
She has written or co-authored a number of publications, including a rhetoric and composition textbook, "NextText,' which teaches students critical thinking, reading and writing skills required for academic work.
Dr. Kress enjoys reading, writing, quilting, cooking, baking, traveling and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Ned Davis, have two young children.
The appointment of Dr. Kress is pending approval from the State University of New York. | 
