Dave Urso was born and raised near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He lived in Philadelphia until leaving to attend college at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Dave received a Bachelor’s in Conflict Resolution and a Master’s in Educational Psychology from JMU. After graduate school, Dave spent 8 years working at Lord Fairfax Community College in Virginia. While working at LFCC, Dave completed a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Colorado State University. Currently, Dave works as the Dean of Life Sciences and Human Services at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Virginia. Dave has been teaching seminars and developing leaders for almost 15 years. In that time, he’s developed an approach that sets him apart. His naturally energetic and interactive style carries over into his sessions and makes listening to him a pleasure. No matter the context of your interaction, two things are pretty much guaranteed – he’s going to talk really fast and he’s going to do something unexpected.

 Dr. Kirk A. Nooks was appointed as the President of Metropolitan Community College (MCC) – Longview on July 1, 2013. The over 4,000 student campus is located in Lee’s Summit, MO and was the first two-year institution in the nation to be named College of the Year by TIME magazine. Since arriving at the college, Nooks has initiated a strategic visioning process aimed to build upon the legacy of MCC-Longview while responding to the nation’s 2025 Completion Agenda. The college’s strategic plan, entitled “The Longview BLUEprint” was issued in January 2014. The focused efforts have resulted in the campus being recognized as a two-time Bellwether Award national finalist, developing new alliances with Cultural Arts entities, implementing a one-stop Enrollment Center model, and increasing student completion and enrollment.

Nooks came to MCC-Longview from Georgia Highlands College (GHC), where he served as both campus dean for the college’s Marietta campus and executive liaison for diversity initiatives. He served at GHC for four years, during which time campus enrollment increased by over 35%, academic and student services were expanded and the academic/office space allocation more than doubled. Prior to GHC, Nooks served in various leadership roles at Northern Virginia Community College, including dean of student services and assistant professor. Previously, he was director of the office of institutional initiatives and governance at Prince George’s Community College (Md.). Before transitioning to a career in higher education, Nooks worked as an engineering project manager at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center and as an account executive with a health benefits consulting company.

An engineer by training, Nooks has more than 20 years of experience in education, business and engineering. Throughout his career, he has helped institutions with major initiatives, including establishing and implementing a governance system, organizing and scaling up a national completion initiative, and developing a framework for faculty, staff and students to advance the institution’s learning organization aspirations. He has presented at national conferences on topics ranging from institutional governance models to the college completion agenda.

Nooks is active in the local community by serving as a Board Member with the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce, Saint Luke’s East Hospital, Truman Heartland Community Foundation, Civic Roundtable and the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council. He also serves on University of Missouri Kansas City School of Education’s Advisory Board and the Kansas City region’s GradForce KC and KC Rising initiatives. He holds additional memberships in other groups to include the Rotary Club of Lee’s Summit and the President’s/Chancellor’s Council with the Missouri Community College Association. On the national level, since 2015, Nooks has been chairing the premier senior executive level professional development program for African-American leaders in the community college - The Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership.

Nooks holds a doctorate in higher education administration from The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.) and an MBA in marketing and a bachelor of science in industrial management from Mercer University (Macon, Ga.). He is a graduate of the Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership and a member of the inaugural cohort of the American Council on Education’s Spectrum Leadership Institute.

Nooks and his wife, Alison, reside in Lee’s Summit, MO with their three children. 

TYFY: Two Year First Year is a 501c3 public charity dedicated to sharing best practices among programs that support first year students at two year colleges. TYFY: Two Year First Year was created in 2013 by two year college professionals who recognized the special challenges inherent in engaging first year students at their institutions. Higher education institutions share the same goals of social and academic integration; retention and success; health and well-being. While the goals are the same, most two-year colleges have fewer resources and less time with students. Most two year colleges are not residential and many do not have athletic programs. Our students are older and more likely to face significant external demands such as children and families, and full time work. Two year colleges are often stations on the way to transfer institutions or new careers. A research project by Sharon Smith, formerly of the North Carolina Community College System office indicated a desire to create a new organization. This new organization would dedicate itself to sharing best practices and informing the staff charged with creating programs to support first year students. Since then, members have gathered from around the country to build the organization and hold a first TYFY conference in Virginia in 2015.