Dr. Dione Dorsey Somerville is a senior leader in higher education. She was appointed by the Board of Trustees as the eighth president of Owens Community College.

Her professional accomplishments span strategic planning, student success, organizational change, managing complex budgets, enrollment management, assessment, campus planning and construction, program development, Title IX compliance, community relations, and fundraising. 

Prior to Owens Community College, Dr. Somerville’s prior experience includes the following:

• Executive Vice President at Hawkeye Community College in Iowa

• Vice President for Student Affairs at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania

• Dean of Students at Iowa State University

• Director of Enrollment Services/Registrar at Lorain County Community College in Ohio

Dr. Somerville earned a doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, master’s degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and bachelor’s degree in English/Writing from Ohio Northern University. Dr. Somerville was a Fellow at the Association of Governing Boards Institute for Leadership and Governance in its inaugural year. Dr. Somerville participated in the Harvard University Institute for Education Management and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Millennium Leadership Institute.

Serving as president at Owens is like a homecoming for Dr. Somerville, as she has several connections to the region where her higher education career began. Her history in the region includes a graduate assistantship at the University of Findlay, a master’s degree program from Bowling Green State University, and a bachelor’s degree from Ohio Northern University. Owens and northwestern Ohio is truly a place she can call home.