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Dr. Corey McCray has been certified a finalist by the State Board for Community Colleges to be the new president at Paul D. Camp Community College.

McCray, of Chesapeake, seeks to become the ninth president of Camp Community College, succeeding Dr. Dan Lufkin, who resigned earlier this year to pursue an opportunity outside Virginia. McCray was one of 52 applicants for the college’s presidential role following a national search, and he is the current interim president.

“I am excited to be the presidential finalist for Camp Community College,” he said. “Camp is a jewel of a college in a great community with outstanding opportunities for continued growth and partnership with businesses, K-12 and other community organizations. Most exciting to me is the opportunity to work with a great faculty and staff to help our students realize their goals and aspirations.”

In the next few weeks, McCray will meet with Camp’s local board and conduct a public town hall meeting on his vision for Camp’s future. The chancellor will decide following those meetings, and the feedback they produce, whether to hire McCray or to begin a new, national search.

McCray has lived and worked in the Suffolk region for more than 25 years — first serving seven years in the U.S. Navy before transitioning to education, serving as a high school teacher and coach in Suffolk.

He also worked for more than 10 years at the Pruden Center for Industry and Technology — now the College and Career Academy at Pruden — a regional career and technical education center in Suffolk.

“Corey McCray is a rising community college star with an already impressive resume of leadership experience,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s Community Colleges, in a statement. “He has served as a chief academic officer, a chief student services officer and a chief workforce officer. That unique trifecta has prepared him to bring a grounded and balanced approach in leading a college forward.”

McCray had been working as the associate vice chancellor for programs at the Virginia Community College System Office. He spent five years before that serving as the executive vice president and vice president for workforce at Tidewater Community College. McCray recently completed the prestigious Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship, which aims to build a cadre of exceptional leaders with a student-centered focus.

McCray has a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, a master’s degree from Cambridge College and a doctorate from Old Dominion University.

Camp has campuses in Suffolk and Franklin and a center in Smithfield. The Franklin campus opened in 1971. More than 50,000 people have taken classes through the college since its founding, as it has awarded more than 2,400 degrees, 1,200 certificates and 9,500 career studies certificates. It also provides dual enrollment opportunities for high school students.