The New College Institute has hired Dr. Susheela Shanta as the new Coordinator of K12 Programs & Institutional Data, beginning June 27. This position at NCI will work with the current team and network of partners in offering unmatched student support services, industry partnerships, community outreach, and pipeline development services. NCI is committed to supporting and serving the youth and student population in the southwest region of Virginia.
Dr. Shanta comes to NCI with more than 33 years of experience in community service, including numerous awards for community development projects and as a STEM educator. Shanta was previously engaged for 20 years in community planning and development in cities in Pennsylvania, and later in Virginia towns engaging in community development through designing, financing and managing construction of adaptive re-use of historic and/or underutilized properties to create affordable housing for families and seniors.
For the last 13 years Dr. Shanta has directed and taught in the engineering program at the Governor’s STEM Academy of Roanoke County. Also appointed by Governor Northam in 2021 to the VA Governor’s STEM Education Advisory Board, Shanta is committed to helping provide access to high-quality STEM educational resources to students from diverse geographic, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Dr. Shanta says she is “looking forward to learning and contributing my expertise to efforts through NCI that provide more STEM focused education, training, and career opportunities to youth in the region.”
Shanta earned her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from India (1984), a master’s degree in Urban Planning (1989) from the SUNY Buffalo, NY, and more recently, a doctoral degree (2017) in Integrative STEM Education from Virginia Tech. In her free time, Dr. Shanta enjoys her time with her family, traveling, cooking, and riding her motorcycle.