CONCORD, N.C. — Barber-Scotia College has chosen who its next president will be.
The Barber-Scotia College Board of Trustees announced Thursday Chris V. Rey, J.D. was unanimously appointed as the next President of the college.
Rey was named president after a nationwide search by an internal search committee led by the Board of Trustee’s Chair Roberta Huger Pinckney, along with alumni and community stakeholders.
"I am beyond honored to have been selected by the board to serve at the helm of one of the nation’s oldest historically black colleges," Rey said following the announcement. "My steps have always been ordained by God and I’m confident my past leadership experiences have prepared me to lead Barber-Scotia’s resurgence."
In 2011, Rey was elected Mayor of Spring Lake, North Carolina, where he served three terms.
Rey retired after 22 years of active duty and Army National Guard service, where he worked with a special team to stand up the first cyber brigade headquarters for the National Guard. He currently serves on the Board of Governors for Charisma University, Board of Visitors for Fayetteville State University, and the Board of Directors for William & Mary University Alumni Association.
The appointment comes after the community task force implemented to revitalize Barber-Scotia College was dissolved back in March.
In a statement, Concord City Council said the dissolution comes after Barber-Scotia College officials "refused to work in partnership with city officials and continuously obstructed the work of the Task Force."
The Barber-Scotia Community Task Force was founded in 2017 to help restore the campus after it fell into disrepair with six of the 15 buildings currently deemed uninhabitable and another three with violations.
Barber-Scotia College was founded in January 1867 by Rev. Luke Dorland, who was commissioned by the Presbyterian Church, to establish an institution for the training of African-American women. The college lost its accreditation in 2004.