Surviving to Thriving

JOANNE SOLIDAY has spent more than 35 years in private higher education. A first-generation college student at West Virginia Wesleyan College, she received a bachelor¿s degree in education. She also holds a M.Ed. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC ¿ Chapel Hill) in special education, and pursued graduate studies at Duke Divinity School. During an 18-year tenure at Elon College (now Elon University), Joanne threw her passion into developing the Elon Fellows programs and Elon Experiences, heightening alumni engagement, and developing the Elon Society. Joanne¿s time at Elon represented a crucial period of growth and transformation of the college into a nationally-acclaimed university. Joanne then returned to her alma mater, West Virginia Wesleyan College, to serve as the vice president for external relations. Her experience with and belief in private colleges and universities steered Joanne to consulting, where she founded Credo, then Performa Higher Education, with President Tom Gavic. She has spent the last 15 years working with more than 200 private colleges and universities.