PVCC Professor Jennifer Banning Tomás Receives 2026 Outstanding Faculty Award
Charlottesville, Va. – March 5, 2026 – Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) is proud to announce Professor Jennifer Banning Tomás as a recipient of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) 2026 Outstanding Faculty Award. Selected from a pool of 81 nominees and 21 finalists representing Commonwealth of Virginia public and private colleges and universities, Tomás is one of 12 total recipients and one of two community college honorees.
Recipients of this award are recognized for exemplifying the highest standards of teaching, scholarship and service. They were announced March 3, 2026, at a SCHEV ceremony in Richmond, where each received a $7,500 award.
“Professor Banning Tomás embodies the very best of Piedmont Virginia Community College. Her unwavering commitment to student success, her innovative and engaging teaching, and her meaningful service to our college and community distinguish her as an extraordinary educator,” shared PVCC President Dr. Jean Runyon. “We are immensely proud of her recognition by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and grateful for the profound impact she has on our students and our region.”
Tomás is a professor of history at PVCC where she specializes in teaching United States social and political history. Her research focuses on modern American women, their civic and political engagement since the 1920s, and their efforts to secure women’s places in the formal narratives of American history during the twentieth century. Tomás recently published her book, “Reclaiming Clio: Making American Women’s History, 1900-2000.”
About Piedmont Virginia Community College
Established in 1972, Piedmont Virginia Community College is a nonresidential two-year institution of higher education that serves Central Virginia – principally, residents of the City of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. PVCC is committed to providing access to a college education for all who can benefit, an opportunity for each student to reach their potential, and excellence in all programs and services. The main campus is in Albemarle County, Virginia. Classes are also offered at the PVCC Eugene Giuseppe Center in Stanardsville, Va. (Greene County) and the PVCC Jefferson School City Center in downtown Charlottesville. Visit pvcc.edu.
PVCC does not discriminate based on age, color, disability, family medical history or genetic information, military service, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), sexual orientation or any other non-merit-based factor. Visit pvcc.edu/nondiscrimination to learn more.