Office of the President

A thought leader in higher education who is passionate about meeting students where they are with wraparound services, an authentic sense of belonging and personalized learning, Dr. Dione D. Somerville serves as the eighth president of Owens Community College.

Since her tenure began in June 2021, Dr. Somerville has spearheaded efforts to further Owens Community College’s vision to be an economic driver of dynamic growth in the region by connecting people and industry through training and education. She has provided leadership for the creation and implementation of Owens’ 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, the implementation of the college’s Strategic Enrollment Management Plan and the establishment of the new Center to Advance Manufacturing – a unique collaboration between Owens, Bowling Green State University and the University of Findlay.

Under Dr. Somerville’s leadership, Owens was named one of Ohio’s inaugural Collegiate Purple Star Campuses, recognizing the college’s efforts on behalf of military-affiliated students. In addition, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program named Dr. Somerville among 26 leaders for its national New Presidents Fellowship Class of 2022-23. Dr. Somerville is an active participant in the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, and a member of its Intel Steering Committee and the Semi-Conductor Strategic Planning Value Proposition Workstream. She is also active in the local community, serving on the boards of directors of Regional Growth Partnership, where she is also a member of the Executive Committee, Raise the Bar Hancock County and the Toledo Museum of Art.

Dr. Somerville’s 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.

Her professional experience prior to Owens Community College includes:

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

Dione D. Somerville, Ed.D.
President