Michelle W. Woodhouse

Michelle W. Woodhouse, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer at Tidewater Community College, is known for her student-centered approach to higher education and willingness to guide and mentor TCC students, women, and adults by her ability to create a progressive, positive and supportive environment.

Her education career – encouraged by her parents, who also are educators – began when she returned to her alma mater, Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake. As a teacher, she rose through the teaching and administrative ranks. She transitioned to higher education thanks to a mentor, Dr. Marie V. McDemmond, who named her Norfolk State University’s Director of Continuing Education and Professional Studies at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center. One of her proudest achievements at NSU was the creation of the Women’s Empowerment Initiative. This annual event encourages and motivates women to succeed in education and career and mental and physical well-being.

Dr. Woodhouse joined TCC in 2006 as Dean of Social Sciences and Public Services at the Portsmouth campus and in 2011 became Provost of the Portsmouth Campus after serving in an interim capacity. She established “Call to Action,” an initiative embracing faculty, students, and staff aimed at student success, engagement, and service. She instituted the Student Ambassador program at the Portsmouth Campus, through which students become representatives of their school and groom the next class of ambassadors. Dr. Woodhouse also implemented the First Year Success Office, which offers counseling and outreach to new students.

Dr. Woodhouse is the recipient of numerous awards, including the TCC Martin Luther King Distinguished Service Award, the Urban League of Hampton Roads Young Professional Legacies’ Silver Star for Education, and the Norfolk State University Women’s Economic Development Center Phenomenal Woman Award. She is also the recipient of the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast ‘Famous Former’ Award, YWCA Board of Directors Service Award, and the MADD Excellence Award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master’s degree in Urban Education from Norfolk State University, and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Woodhouse gives her time, talent, and energy to numerous civic activities, including the Portsmouth Partnership and Portsmouth Public Schools Foundation Boards. She is a graduate of Lead Hampton Roads Class of 2012 and a former Commissioner for ForKids, Inc.