Tom Looney

Chairman Board of Directors

NC Community College System

Tom Looney is Chair of the Board of the NC Community College System. The system is leading the modernization of North Carolina’s 58 Community Colleges that serve over 600,000 students. As Chair, Tom is driving initiatives to enable the system to move at the "speed of business" and engage students as "valued customers". The system is adopting a dynamic workforce-driven funding model designed to match program offerings with high-wage, high-demand careers aligned with North Carolina's workforce needs. Additionally, they are leading the implementation of a systemwide AI-enabled CRM solution and an upgraded ERP system, to ignite student engagement, target investments and accelerate operational efficiency. Tom’s career spans over four decades in leadership roles at IBM, Lenovo, and two AI startups, where he honed his expertise in technology, innovation and customer experience. He served as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Wake Technical Community College and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, demonstrating a lifelong commitment to education and workforce development.