College Leadership

Dr. Annesa Payne Cheek began as the 11^th President of Frederick Community College on July 1, 2022.

President Cheek came to FCC from St. Cloud Technical & Community College in Minnesota, where she served as President for four years. Prior to that presidency, she spent 12 years at Sinclair Community College in Ohio, an institution serving over 30,000 individuals across five locations. While there, she was the Vice President of the School and Community Partnerships Division for three years. President Cheek’s other past positions at Sinclair Community College include Vice President for Student Financial Services and Senior Advisor to the President, Chief of Staff in the Office of the President, and Senior Director of Advancement. She has also served as the Executive Vice President for the Ohio Association of Community Colleges.
 

President Cheek earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business management at Tennessee State University, a Master of Business Administration at the University of Dayton, and a Doctor of Education at the University of Texas at Austin in the Community College Leadership Program. In 2016, she was chosen by the Aspen Institute for its Presidential Fellowship, a national leadership program for community college presidents.

With more than 25 years in higher education, Dr. Anne P. Davis brings deep experience as both an educator and a strategic leader. She has served Frederick Community College as Provost and Vice President for Teaching, Learning, and Student Success since July 2023.

Dr. Davis’s professional journey began in the community college classroom as a biology faculty member and steadily evolved through roles of increasing responsibility, including associate dean, dean, chief online learning officer, and chief academic officer at colleges in Maryland and Virginia. Throughout her career, she has remained a teacher at heart, consistently championing evidence‑based teaching and learning practices that promote equitable outcomes for all students.

Dr. Davis holds a Doctor of Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus, a Master of Science in Animal Science from Cornell University, and a Bachelor of Science in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech. She lives on her family farm in Union Bridge, Maryland, and enjoys recharging by kayaking, birding, trail and beach walking.

Dr. Ed Cabellon proudly serves FCC as its Interim Vice President for Student Experience, providing strategic leadership across student enrollment, engagement, and completion. He leads a dynamic team committed to best practices in student recruitment, support, and transformational outcomes in support of FCC’s mission and future-ready plan.

After nearly 30 years in Higher Education, Dr. Cabellon is known as a trusted servant leader who translates complex institutional challenges into collaborative, data-informed action through strong systems, emerging technologies, and clear accountability. As a first-generation Filipino American college graduate, Dr. Cabellon brings lived experience that shapes his leadership philosophy and his unwavering commitment to co-creating the conditions where all students feel they belong. As a published scholar, his research examines digital technology as a catalyst for student experience improvement, actively contributing to statewide and national higher education association work.

Dr. Cabellon previously served as Interim Senior Vice President for Student Affairs at Montgomery College (MD), Vice President for Enrollment Management at Curry College (MA), and Vice President for Student Services and Enrollment Management at Bristol Community College (MA).

Dr. Cabellon earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Johnson and Wales University (RI); an M.S. in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Stonehill College (MA).

Connect with Dr. Cabellon on LinkedIn and/or Instagram!

Dr. Bridgette N. Cofield, J.D., SPHR, is an accomplished human resources executive with more than 25 years of experience spanning law, human resources leadership, and organizational management. She currently serves as Vice President for Talent and Culture at Frederick Community College, where she provides strategic leadership in advancing initiatives that strengthen institutional culture, talent development, and organizational effectiveness. Dr. Cofield is widely recognized for delivering tailored, high-impact strategies and executive-level solutions for higher education institutions, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

Dr. Cofield earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Memphis and her Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis School of Law. She also holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute, affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), a credential she actively maintains while upholding the highest standards of human resources and strategic leadership excellence.

Deeply committed to civic engagement and community service, Dr. Cofield dedicates her time and leadership to a range of impactful organizations. Her work reflects a strong focus on community partnerships, youth development, and philanthropy. Through her governance contributions, program support, and mentorship of young people, she continues to advance meaningful, community-centered initiatives. As a leader in charitable efforts, Dr. Cofield consistently demonstrates a sustained commitment to service, outreach, and lasting community impact.

For the past 20+ years, Stephen diFilipo has been in executive leadership roles as vice president, CIO/CTO, and Chief Innovation Officer in colleges and universities, providing strategic planning, thought leadership, and operational oversight. His vision for advancing the technology ecosystem has encompassed early adoption of ‘the cloud,’ blockchain credentialing, engaging learning resources, mobile and digital technologies, and social media. Stephen’s unique attribute is assessing emerging and evolving technologies and identifying the intersections where technologies and business needs meet.

Most recently, Stephen was the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Innovation Officer for Millersville University. At Millersville, Stephen was instrumental in developing a strategy that infused technology throughout the university. His role in championing innovation delivered exceptional, differentiated experiences for students, faculty, staff, the campus community, and the region.

Prior to his tenure at Millersville, Stephen supported a number of universities in a consulting role advising Presidents, Provosts, CFOs and CIOs regarding strategies to enable digital transformation, IT governance, incident response planning, data governance and continuity of operations planning, among other key technology and business initiatives.

Previously, Stephen was the Chief Information Officer at the Institute for Transformational Learning (ITL) at the University of Texas System. At the ITL, he provided thought leadership and strategic vision to projects including adoption of blockchain, platform interoperability and multiple pathway data migration.

Stephen has presented at national and international conferences, speaking on topics of ERP selection and implementation and emerging technology.

Prior to his transition to higher education, Stephen provided technology leadership for major companies such as Campbell Soup Company, Comcast, CIGNA, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Exelon, Rowan University, and Deborah Heart and Lung Center, among others. Stephen has served in an adjunct capacity at many colleges and universities, providing instruction at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Courses he has provided instruction for include: “Digital Photography as a Social Experience,” “Academic Software Assessment & Selection”, “Basics of Photography”, “Video Production,” and “Video Editing”.

Stephen received his Master’s degree from New York University in the study of Media Ecology.

Scott McVicker is Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Administration at Frederick Community College, where he provides executive leadership for finance, operations, grants, procurement, and campus police. Since joining in 2024, he has overseen financial stewardship, capital planning, and risk management, aligning resources with institutional strategy and long-term sustainability.

Previously, Scott served as CFO at WVU Potomac State College, leading finance, facilities, IT, and auxiliary services. He developed the campus’s first balanced budget after a decade of multimillion-dollar losses, establishing a foundation for fiscal stability. He has also served as Chief Operating Officer for two national nonprofits, where he led successful turnarounds that restored financial health and operational performance.

Earlier in his career at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Scott held leadership roles in incident command, governance, and advisory functions. Across sectors, he is known for disciplined fiscal management, operational efficiency, and building high-performing teams.

A U.S. Army veteran, Scott served eight years in the Finance Corps, supporting global operations and earning the Joint Meritorious Service Medal. He holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a BS in Management from St. John Fisher University.

Dr. Paushter serves as Chief Foresight and Decision Support Officer at Frederick Community College, where he leads the Center for Strategic Innovation and Foresight. In this role, he partners with senior leadership to strengthen institutional effectiveness and advance student success through data-informed decision-making, future-ready strategic planning, and organizational learning.

Dr. Paushter holds a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in educational leadership, and brings more than 25 years of experience across secondary and higher education. This background informs his systems-level approach to improving student outcomes and strengthening institutional practice.

His work focuses on identifying root causes of student success and aligning institutional strategy to address them. He integrates foresight practices into higher education, helping the college anticipate and respond to emerging trends and disruptions. He leads strategy development efforts exploring the future of higher education and its impact on access, inclusion, and workforce development.

Committed to building institutional capacity, he supports leaders and teams in using evidence, assessment, and continuous improvement practices to drive meaningful and sustained transformation.

Avis Boyd serves as a strategic advisor in the role of Chief of Staff to the President of FCC. Often engaged in coordination of efforts that amplify the College’s mission and vision broadly, the role merits a diplomatic, analytic and strategic capacity which Ms. Boyd draws upon from a background in a variety of leadership roles over the past 30 years.  Her experience is garnered from the for-profit, nonprofit and government sectors. She appreciates conversation, whether addressing her background in U.S. Air Force space operations, health care administration, cable television management, strategic planning consulting, new home construction and housing rehab, community college business and fund development, or even early childhood education.   

The common thread through her varied background is the positional opportunity to help make a positive difference in the lives of others. Loves in life include her faith, her family, the University of Notre Dame where she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology, dancing, swimming, and dogs of every breed.