President, Concord University
Photo by Concord University and Amodeo Photography/April Amodeo.
By Anna Moore
Encouraged by her mother to complete a college degree, Kendra Boggess did more than that—she became the 12th president of Concord University in Athens, WV. As a woman and first-generation college graduate, Boggess defied the odds and expectations of her generation.
“When I asked my parents what I could be when I grew up, as did many women in my generation, the options were limited,” says Boggess. “I understood that I could be a teacher, a nurse, a secretary or a wife and mother.”
While some higher education leaders have straight and narrow paths to the top, Boggess paved her own way, which led her from Florida, where she grew up, to West Virginia, where she has lived for 45 years and calls home.
Her first job was selling popcorn, soda and snacks at a movie theater for 75 cents an hour.
“I learned that customer service was very important, being on time was essential and keeping the workplace tidy was a big part of the job,” she says.
With these skills, the makings of a college president were underway. After working for her parents’ gourmet food store in Clearwater, FL, she accepted a position as an office manager for an architect in Tampa where she was able to add personnel management, finance, project management and professional networking to her resume.
“That job taught me that I could learn very quickly, I was capable of much more than I had imagined and having a boss who believed in me grew my confidence in my abilities,” she says.
After her marriage and move to West Virginia in 1978, she worked for her late husband Ted’s architectural firm. Boggess later became an adjunct professor for Concord, teaching one business class. She enjoyed teaching so much that she pursued both her master’s and doctorate degrees in education, eventually progressing from an adjunct to a full-time professor. She was elected by the business faculty to serve as chair of the business department from 1996-2009 and was elected president of the faculty in 2008. She was asked to serve as an associate academic dean, taking her from the classroom to administration, and later asked to be the vice president and academic dean of the university. She was appointed interim president in 2013 and selected president in 2014.
“It has been a long, winding, interesting, challenging and fulfilling journey and I am so thankful for the support I have received from Concord’s board of governors, cabinet, faculty, staff and students over all the years,” says Boggess.
As the top leader of the institution for nine years now, Boggess says her greatest achievement has been leading the university through the accelerated change taking place in higher education.
“Being able to identify leaders with whom to work who bring the skills needed to steer the ship in new directions is challenging and I believe is something I have been able to achieve,” she says.
Boggess not only invests in the lives of others as her job, but she is committed to serving her community and organizations that hold a dear place in her heart. She has established a scholarship at Concord in Ted’s name and she gives to her alma maters, the University of Florida and Virginia Tech, as well as Kappa Delta, a sorority where she once was chapter president.
“It was the place where I was first recognized as having leadership qualities,” Boggess says. “There are so many young women who are seeking to serve and to become leaders and it is my pleasure to work with my sorority even now.”
She also contributes to the arts as a founding member of the board for the Chuck Mathena Performing Arts Center in Princeton, WV, and health care organizations, including the Epilepsy Foundation of America, American Heart Association and American Cancer Society. Boggess is also active on the Truist Local Advisory Board in Princeton.
From the Sunshine State to the Mountain State, Boggess says she hopes to leave a legacy that can help more students attend Concord University.
“It is my hope students will find their passion in life through their studies there and will make the world a better place.”
