Tom McKeon, executive director of the Roanoke Higher Education Center, announces retirement

Tom McKeon Credit: Roanoke Higher Education Center (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

ROAONKE (WSLS 10) - On Wednesday, Tom McKeon announced he will retire as executive director of the Roanoke Higher Education Center at the end of this year.

McKeon has led the center since its construction began in 1999, creating a hub for adult learning that now supports 310 jobs and an annual economic impact of $32 million per year.

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A total of 9,083 people have completed degree, certificate and workforce training programs at the center since it opened in 2000.

The Roanoke Higher Education Center was among the first large redevelopment projects in the city, transforming the former art deco Norfolk & Western headquarters into a center of learning offering programs from GED to PhD. In 2007, the center restored and preserved the historic Henry Street buildings that became the Claude Moore Education Complex, home to Virginia Western Community College's culinary arts program.

That program is expanding along Henry Street, continuing the revitalization of a block central to African-American culture in the Gainsboro community dating back to the 1920s and earlier.

The board will appoint a search committee to select a successor by the end of the year.

"It's been a privilege to be part of the educational and economic development fabric of the region," McKeon said. "We've been fortunate to develop long-term relationships with our education and training partners to offer convenient access to higher education, especially for working adults, to help them excel in life and contribute to our region's successes. At the same time we've been able to provide a proven model for collaboration in workforce training and education."

McKeon said he's most proud of the addition of the Claude Moore Center and the growth of culinary arts, the addition of a nursing clinical simulation center operated by Radford University, and the diversity of the center, from some of the largest universities in the Commonwealth offering doctoral degrees to job-training programs offered by TAP-This Valley Works.

The center, which recently underwent an additional $8.2 million facelift, was initially among the first to be renovated, starting a renaissance of preservation and development promoting cultural and residential growth around downtown Roanoke.

Before joining the Roanoke Higher Education Center McKeon served as Director of the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  While at UNC, McKeon was a clinical professor of educational leadership in the School of Education.

Following service as an active duty officer in the U.S. Army, McKeon began his career in education at the University of Virginia, where he served in several capacities in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He's also served as associate commissioner of the Virginia Employment Commission.

McKeon looks forward to spending time with his five grandchildren and boating on the North Carolina coast.