Office of the President

President David R. Jones

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The president of Allegany College of Maryland serves as its chief executive officer and is appointed by the College's Board of Trustees.

David R. Jones became the sixth president of Allegany College of Maryland on January 1, 2025. President Jones' top priorities in his first year include the following:

• Commitment to Mission: Upholding the community college mission of accessibility, affordability, and high-quality education.
• Academic Excellence and Enrollment: Using data-driven strategies to address evolving student needs, boost enrollment, and drive student retention and completion rates.
• Community Engagement: Building synergistic partnerships with the surrounding community to keep higher education accessible and responsive to local needs. 
• Workforce Development: Equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the workforce and aligning educational programs with industry demands.
• Resource Development: Identifying and securing funding to support ACM's mission and goals.
• Shared Governance: Fostering a unified vision for ACM through open communication and collaborative decision-making among faculty, staff, students, and administration.

About President Jones

President Jones was Allegany College of Maryland's vice president of advancement and community relations and the executive director of the ACM Foundation prior to his appointment.

He joined the College in 1996, as an administrative assistant to President Donald Alexander. Within a year, he was named the College's director of fundraising and grantwriting and later, the director of grants and development and executive director of the ACM Foundation. He became an ACM vice president in 2014.

During this 28-year span, President Jones became known for his diplomatic and caring demeanor and collaborative style of leadership. His work on behalf of students and ACM during this time includes the following achievements:  

• Securing more than $68 million in grant funding to support academic programs, athletics, campus security and safety, capital projects, community and civic engagement, facility updates and renovations, student services, and workforce development.
• Raising more than $30 million for the College's affiliated foundations, the Allegany College of Maryland Foundation and the Bedford County Regional Education Foundation. 
• Awarding over $20 million in scholarships to students enrolled in academic or job training programs.
• Building partnerships in collaboration with ACM faculty and staff to develop and expand programs in advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, early college, nursing, and P-TECH. 

Before joining ACM, President Jones was a program specialist with the U.S. Department of Education for two years. He has served as a federal grant peer reviewer for the Department for nearly three decades.

He and his wife, Elaine, a Certified Public Accountant, are the parents of three adult children, and they reside in Frostburg.

Affiliations and Service to Others

President Jones lives a life of service and is part of the following organizations: Allegany County Chamber of Commerce, Institutional Member, Leadership Allegany Committee Member, Leadership Allegany Graduate of the Class of 2008; Allegany Museum, Board Member; Bedford County Chamber of Commerce, Institutional Member; Cumberland Economic Development Corporation, Board Member; Frostburg Memorial Park and (nonprofit) Cemetery, Board Member; Greater Cumberland Committee, Corporate Council Member, Education and Workforce Development Work Group Member; LaVale Lions Club, Member, Volunteer; Maryland Association of Community Colleges, Board of Directors and Legislative Committee Member; Maryland Rural Health Association, Member; Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Peer Evaluator; Rotary Club of Cumberland, Board Member, Scholarship Chair, Past President; Transform Mid-Atlantic, Vice Chair, Board Member; and Tri-County Council of Western Maryland, Institutional Member.

Education

President Jones earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in social science and education from Frostburg State University. 

Honors and Awards

Under President Jones' leadership, the ACM Foundation was named the 2024 Nonprofit of the Year by the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce. President Jones has received 12 employee recognition awards from ACM. He is an honorary member of Phi Theta Kappa. He was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Cumberland, and the Kiwanian of the Year by the Kiwanis Club of Cumberland. His volunteer efforts received recognition from the State of Maryland.