After 37 years at NVCC, the Loudoun campus provost will retire at year's end

Sitting in his office surrounded by family members, Anthony C. Tardd recalled how 37 years at Northern Virginia Community College flew by.

Tardd, 62, provost of NVCC's Loudoun campus for the past 10 years, began working at the college in 1973 as a student counselor and has spent decades helping shape the institution's direction. He will retire at the end of this year.

"I see myself in a lot of these students," said Tardd, who noted that he, like some of his students, struggled through the first few years of his education. "We are the only chance for a lot of students," he said. "We want to give people the skills and knowledge to be successful."

Although retiring means Tardd will have time to play golf, travel with his family and play with his toddler grandson, it also means he will have time to reflect on how his work at the college has affected its history.

He has worked at NVCC's Alexandria, Manassas, Annandale and Loudoun campuses. He wrote the college's first affirmative action plan, has served on dozens of college committees and has crafted dozens of budget and development plans. He has also overseen the opening of four centers.

"I can look outside and see buildings that don't exist," said Tardd, who has sealed a deal to build another facility on the Loudoun campus.

He said he hopes to see some of his work come to fruition long after he packs away his office away and embraces a somewhat quieter life in the District home that he shares with his wife of 40 years, Dyanna. The couple has three daughters.

Fred Hecklinger hired a then-26-year-old Tardd to work at NVCC. "Even back then, I knew he would be a good leader," Hecklinger said. "He's always shown a sincere interest in helping faculty, staff and students."

Tardd soon moved to various positions, including associate coordinator of counseling services and division chair. In 1992, he became dean of student development and assistant for instructional and campus development at the Manassas campus.

Tardd also sat on various committees that focused on the college's budget, curriculum, planning, instructional and student services and institutional effectiveness. He has also represented NVCC at the state level on several councils and committees, including the Virginia Community College Chancellor's Advisory Council of Deans and Provosts and the Executive Council of Deans and Provosts.

"He is one of the pillars of the institution," said NVCC President Robert G. Templin Jr. "He represents the finest and the best that Northern Virginia Community College is."

Linda Karol has worked as Tardd's executive assistant for four years. "He has an infectious laugh," she said. "We're going to miss him very much."

Apart from his work at NVCC, Tardd has served on the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Loudoun School-Business Partnership Executive Committee and the Prince William County-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce.

Charles Johnson, an NVCC information technology technician, has worked with Tardd for five years. "He is the kind of person who has all the leadership qualities you need," Johnson said. "Not seeing his smiling face, his warmth -- it's hard to put into words how I feel about that."

Joyce Samuels, dean of natural and applied sciences at NVCC's Loudoun campus, will serve as acting provost while a national search is launched to fill the provost's position.