South Piedmont Community College announced the appointment of Bonnie Cotter as vice president for institutional advancement after a four month national search. She will be working with the college’s leadership team to develop new funding sources for its innovative programming, strengthen relationships within the college family and across the community, and strategically plan for future development of the college, its students, and community partners.
Cotter comes to SPCC from the California Bay Area where she served as president of a large, prominent high school for the past six years. In that role, she spearheaded major fundraising initiatives, innovative curriculum development, state-of-the-art construction projects, and corporate relationship-building. Prior to that, she led several private schools in the Charlotte area for over ten years.
Cotter brings broad experience in not-for-profit and small business leadership to SPCC through her unique set of skills that has spanned education, healthcare, human services, and small business environments demonstrating the nimbleness and expertise to innovate and elevate organizations across a wide spectrum of industries.
Cotter is dedicated to designing and creating approaches and environments that recognize learning as a lifelong process, and tie purpose and meaning into the knowledge base, technical skills, individual talents and critical thinking required of a fast-paced, ever-changing future.
“Community colleges are uniquely prepared to deliver on this vision,” said Cotter, “and I am particularly drawn to South Piedmont’s values and ambitious vision. I am so happy to be part of the team.”
Cotter is a certified strategic planner and completed a specialized certificate in Risk Management in Decision-Making from Stanford. She holds an MBA from SUNY, Buffalo and a BA in Journalism/Communications from St. Bonaventure University.