Beaufort County Community College has a new president.

On Thursday, officials announced the selection of Dr. David Loope to succeed current president, Dr. Barbara Tansey.

“I’m greatly honored, first of all, and very excited about the opportunity,” Loope said. “Beaufort’s a great college and has a great reputation within the community college sector.”

For the past seven years, Loope served as the vice president of academic affairs and chief academic officer at Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. He has also worked at Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Virginia, and Trident Technical College in Charleston, South Carolina, a press release states.

Loope earned his doctorate in higher education at the College of William and Mary, a master’s degree in English from Wake Forest University and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, according to the release.

“During his seven years at Reynolds CC, Loope oversaw all academic programs across four schools and three campuses. He developed the college’s first Center for Faculty Engagement and restructured the Center for Distance Learning,” the release states.

Loope said his wife is from eastern North Carolina, so the couple was interested in moving here. He said he was also impressed with the college’s emphasis on workforce development and economic development.

“It’s really important for me to work in an area where I think I can make a difference,” Loope said. “I think there’s a significant opportunity there.”

Although Loope said he is excited to get started, his first order of business will be to get to know the faculty, staff and students. He also wants to get to know people in the surrounding community.

“I’m going to do a lot of listening and getting to know people, both on campus and off campus,” he said. “I’ll be coming down to help with the transition, and I’m very appreciative of (Tansey’s) willingness to help in that regard.”

Tansey, who announced her retirement due to personal reasons Aug. 3, 2016, will officially pass the torch on May 31. She came on board as president in 2012. Loope will serve as the sixth president in BCCC’s 50-year tenure.

“In my opinion, he is exactly what this college needs. He is a quiet leader. He pays attention and listens because his mode of operation is to build consensus,” said Dr. Laura Staton, chairman of the BCCC Board of Trustees, which is charged with selecting the president. “As we say goodbye to Dr. Tansey, we do so knowing that the BCCC will be in good hands with Dr. Loope.”