Two New Deans at Community College of Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 20, 2010 —Community College of Philadelphia welcomes David E. Thomas as the new dean of the Division of Adult and Community Education (DACE) and Joan L. Bush as the new dean of the Division of Educational Support Services.

Thomas previously was the director of Student and School Support Services at the Philadelphia office of Victory Schools Inc., an educational management organization. Before that, he worked as a career counselor at Temple University. He has both a B.S. in Biblical Theology and a B.S. in Secondary Education from Philadelphia Biblical University (PBU). He also earned an M.S. in Counseling Psychology from PBU, and a M.Ed. in Adult and Organizational Development from Temple University

As a youth, Thomas said he knew even then that he was destined for a career advising and counseling others. "Back then, I was always offering my peers advice," said Thomas, a lifelong resident of Southwest Philadelphia.  Now, he said, "I am a professional educator and a professional counselor. I am always teaching somebody something."

Bush comes to the College from Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) in Nanticoke, Pa., where she served as associate dean for Counseling and Student Support Services. Prior to LCCC, Bush was the coordinator of Student Support Services at Pennsylvania State University at Wilkes-Barre, her hometown. She has a B.A. in Sociology from Boston College and an M.A. in Counseling from Marywood University.

Bush said of Greater Philadelphia, "Living and working in a large urban area with diverse cultures and having so much art, music and entertainment at our finger tips has been a goal for quite some time." She also is excited about the diversity of the College’s student body.