Melissa Robbins

Dean, Business Studies & Emerging Technologies

Piedmont Community College

Melissa Robbins, dean, business studies and emerging technologies at Piedmont Community College, is a lifelong, passionate educator. Growing up in a small town in southside Virginia, Melissa always knew she wanted to become a teacher in some form or fashion. She was lucky enough to have attended a high school that partnered with the local community college to provide dual enrollment courses to qualified students. Melissa immediately signed up and the rest was history! She received her early childhood education certificate from Southside Virginia Community College along with two associate degrees from the same institution. She went on to pursue a bachelor's degree in occupational and technical education from Old Dominion University, minoring in IT with a cluster in counseling. Melissa earned a master’s degree in business management and leadership from Liberty University. Melissa has more than 22 years of classroom experience in the PK-12 school system and the higher education sector. She has worked for community colleges and at the university level. Educating others is where she finds joy, and her students are at the center of everything she does. Whether it’s finding an interactive and engaging learning tool for the classroom or implementing experiential learning activities at her institution, Melissa always ensures students come first. Her motto is, “If no relationship is ever built, no learning can ever occur.”