Photo: Nicole Hamel

President of Beacon College 

Vital Stats:

• President of the accredited, nonprofit liberal arts school in downtown Leesburg noted as America’s first college to award bachelor’s degrees primarily to students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and other learning differences.
• Resides in Oxford.
• Born and raised in Holbrook, Massachusetts.
• Received bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Stonehill College; master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard University in education policy and finance.
• Married to Dr. Oksana Hagerty.
• Father of three sons, one daughter; grandfather of five.

What I enjoy most about my job: The capacity with colleagues to truly transform the lives of emerging adults.

What I’ve learned from Beacon College students: The abiding value of perseverance and courageous action and the power and complexity of the human brain.

Growing up I wanted to be:  A pediatrician or a hotel manager. I loved going on vacation with my parents.

Best advice I’ve been given: Dream big.

My hero: Anyone who confronts and perseveres in the face of daunting obstacles.

What I do for fun: Spending quiet time at home with my family and visits with my grandchildren.

Favorite places I’ve traveled: Greece, Chile, Italy, central Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.

My passions: My wife and family and making the community better for my colleagues and the students we are blessed to serve.

Three words to describe me: Inspired by humanity.

My personal philosophy: Be open to every possibility and the potential within.

Guilty pleasure: Publix fried chicken.

Something about me that nobody knows: I found myself thrown into a Winnebago with Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell.

Pet peeve: Unnecessary drama.

If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be: Oscar Wilde.

Favorite quote: “Press on! Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.” –Calvin Coolidge