Varsovia Fernandez
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Varsovia Fernandez has served on the Board of Trustees of Montgomery County Community College since 2018. She currently serves on the Finance and Student Success committees and held the position of assistant secretary in 2021. She serves as co-chair of the President's Advisory Council on Equity and Social Justice, which oversees diversity programs and reviews MCCC's policies for equity, inclusiveness and culturally responsive practices. She is a member of the core team of Achieving the Dream and the University of Southern California Race and Equity Center Racial Equity Leadership Academy, a program that develops strategic racial equity plans and actionable solutions. Varsovia also served on the exploratory team for Challenger Learning Center, as the keynote speaker for the student leadership retreat and on the presidential inauguration planning committee.
Varsovia is a senior executive with more than 25 years of combined management experience across a variety of industries. She currently serves as the executive director of the Pennsylvania CDFI Network, where she leads a network of 17 community development financial institutions across the state. Previously she was the principal of the consulting firm, V2 Business Advisers, LLC, and was the senior vice president and Philadelphia Market Leader at Customers Bank.
Varsovia is an active member of the Greater Philadelphia business community and is dedicated to increasing diversity in business and organizations. Most recently, she helped organize a new $100 million fund, the Philadelphia Growth, Resiliency, Independence, Tenacity (GRIT) Fund, which will provide loans for Black and brown business owners in the Greater Philadelphia area and capacity building support to the region's CDFIs.
In her time leading the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as President and CEO from 2006 to 2015, she institutionalized the chamber's programs and operations, increased awareness for Latino professionals and businesses and created a voice for Latino businesses in the region through advocacy. These efforts culminated in a 600% growth in membership under her tenure, making it one of the largest Latino chambers of commerce in the U.S. In addition to her work with the College, she serves on several other boards, including Rosemont College, The Philadelphia Award, Comcast National Joint Diversity Council and Philadelphia Health Management Corp.
As a trustee, Varsovia brings wide-ranging experience across the private and public sectors, including specifically higher education institutions. She's a natural leader who has built her career on inspiring others to fulfill their potential. What attracts Varsovia to the College is its ability to fuel economic development in the region through education. She is proud of the College's dedication to educating students of all backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and ethnicities by providing the support they need to achieve their educational goals.
Varsovia earned her bachelor's degree in business education from Rosemont College before earning a leadership certificate from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania and a graduate diploma from Wharton's ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking Program.
Varsovia currently lives in Ardmore and enjoys relaxing with family and friends in her spare time. She encourages students to work hard and be generous to themselves. "The resources are there for you, use them liberally."