Welcome to Mountain Gateway Community College! Congratulations on choosing MGCC.
Our goal is your success. We offer a supportive place where you can earn an associate degree, certificate, or industry credential. You can also take a class or two to build new skills or return to college.
MGCC is affordable and easy to access, with convenient locations. We are proud to serve our region by supporting learning, service, and community growth. Our programs help students reach their goals and improve their lives.
We invite you to visit our campus and see all that MGCC has to offer.
For more than 60 years, students have chosen MGCC to start their future. Here, you can stay close to home and still go far.
Warm regards,
Dr. John J. Rainone
Biography
On July 8, 2013, Dr. John J. Rainone became the fourth president of Mountain Gateway Community College. He brings more than 30 years of experience in education as a teacher, administrator, and college leader.
Dr. Rainone earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern New Hampshire University and his doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University. He is a first-generation college graduate and the first in his family to earn an advanced degree. He also completed leadership programs through the League for Innovation and Harvard University.
He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Before coming to MGCC, he worked in both business and higher education. He helped start York County Community College in Maine and served there for 18 years in leadership roles focused on workforce development, academics, finance, and fundraising.
Dr. Rainone loves teaching. For more than 33 years, he has taught college courses in business, leadership, nonprofit management, and fundraising.
He serves in many leadership roles across Virginia and the nation. He is Past Chair of the Rural Community College Alliance Board and has served on the board of the American Association of Community Colleges. He is active in local workforce and economic development groups and has served in leadership roles with the YMCA, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, and other community organizations. He also serves as Virginia’s Statewide Chair for Phi Theta Kappa.
Dr. Rainone has received several national and regional awards. In 2016, he received leadership awards from the American Association of Community Colleges and Insight into Diversity magazine. In 2021, he was named Entrepreneurial President of the Year by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship. He has also received alumni and community service awards, including being named Rotarian of the Decade.
He has been a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) since 2007, a credential that recognizes professional achievement in nonprofit fundraising.