Dr. Cory Homer: New Interim President

By Maydene Yamisha

College Hill Writer

Between his jobs and hidden talents, Dr. Cory Homer, interim president at Sussex County Community College, does it all!

Photograph Submitted by Interim President Cory Homer

A mayor, barista, stilt walker, rock skipper, and family man, Dr. Cory Homer added the title of SCCC interim president to his list just this semester. 

Homer has been with the school since 2014 and with his new role, plans to bring new ideas to the school and help students with their educational paths. He enjoys giving back to the community, engaging with students, and being a family man while keeping his schedule filled with many activities!

Currently, Homer is the interim president due to Dr. Jon Connolly stepping down. He speaks highly of Connolly and said, “He had helped move my career, and added a new element.” 

Before gaining the role of president, he was the school’s vice president for over a decade. 

“Going on 11 years,” said Homer. He started working at SCCC on July 1, 2014. 

This adjustment isn’t new to him since he was the President of the Matamoras Delaware School Board in Matamoras, Pa., for eight years. His responsibilities as interim president include strategic direction, resource allocation, and many more key responsibilities. 

It’s up to the Board of Trustees to make the role permanent, a decision Homer hopes takes place.

He took on this role because it was always something he wanted to do. He’s very well known among staff and loved by students, and he looks forward to helping students and listening to the community at all times without fail. 

Outside of the classroom, Homer is a barista, rescue diver, husband, father, and the mayor of Matamoras, Pa. Growing up in the scenic and humble Pike County town of Matamoras, Pa., Homer continues to reside there with his wife Tiffany and their children Lily, Scarlett, and Billy. Every day, he tries to get a workout in around 4 a.m., and then he drives over to SCCC to begin his work day, which typically lasts from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. On the weekends, Homer has also been working as a barista at his wife’s business, Tiffany’s Coffee Shop, in his town of Matamoras for almost a year now. His favorite hobbies include fishing, hunting as well as playing with his children, and his hidden talents are rock skipping and walking on stilts.

Academically, Homer has a bachelor’s in psychology from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa., a master’s in clinical psychology from Marywood University in Dunmore, Pa., and a doctorate in psychology from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz. 

Dr. Cory Homer Became the Interim President of Sussex County Community College After 11 Years of Working at SCCC.

One of Homer’s biggest qualities is helping others, which explains his many jobs. The reason why he chose to become mayor was to give back to the same community that he grew up in. He has many fond memories there and loves to interact with others. He characterizes himself as an extrovert. His favorite thing about being mayor is being able to connect with others, problem-solving, and advocating on behalf of the residents. He said the only thing he struggles with is navigating through difficult personalities. 

When asked how he juggles the role of interim president, mayor, and being a family man, he said that he doesn’t have difficulty. “It’s pretty simple, I get to blend these things together,” he said.

If he needs to leave work early for his daughters, can do so. He also includes his family in any mayor-related activities and has brought his daughter to campus before. “Family comes first,” Homer said. Homer’s favorite thing to do after a long day is to be able to disconnect from work, hang out with the kids, and read a book. 

Besides enjoying his role as mayor, he also enjoys working at SCCC. By far his favorite thing is connecting with students and seeing them succeed with their own journeys—“Getting a chance to create more relationships with our community and helping other first-generation students, like myself, navigate higher education,” Homer said. He said he loves walking in the middle of lunch and fist-bumping students as they walk by. 

When asked about his favorite memory at SCCC he recalls last year’s graduation ceremony in May 2024. It had rained and the power went out. People were wet from the rain and the faculty used a megaphone during the ceremony. “Students were so happy at graduation despite the rain, and I was excited to share that moment with them and their families,” Homer said. He loved how even though it still rained he still saw people smiling and having fun. 

Homer has many plans for SCCC. “Several capital productions,” he mentioned, such as expanding the R building this spring to an optics tech center; and this fall, renovating the library and building a learning commons, expanding the healthcare programs, putting an adult transition center in the old chapel, increasing communications with community newsletters and articles and completion of the Optics Technology Center. A major change for students to look for is “developing more pathways for students from high school to the college and from the college into four-year colleges and the workforce,” Homer said.

Homer has many endeavors planned for SCCC and strives to help the community as much as he is capable of!