Bob Templin has been the president of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) since 2002. NOVA is Virginia's largest institution of higher education and one of the nation's largest community colleges. NOVA projects that it will enroll more than 78,000 students at its six campuses during 2010-2011.

Under Dr. Templin's leadership the college has increased its enrollment by over 18,000 students, expanded its revenues by more than $100 million annually, opened three new centers, and begun a dozen major capital projects totaling nearly 800,000 square feet of classroom and laboratory space. Over the last six years Dr. Templin has led an alliance of business, education, healthcare, technology, and community leaders in creating a comprehensive strategy to double the region's output of registered nurses and allied health professionals.

Dr. Templin came to NOVA from the Morino Institute where he served as a senior fellow and helped in the development and launch of Venture Philanthropy Partners, a $35 million philanthropic fund targeting youth-serving organizations in low-income communities in the Washington metro area. Between 1994 and 1999, Dr. Templin served as the president of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, an organization that enhances Virginia's economic competitiveness through technology-based economic development. During Dr. Templin's tenure, the Center was credited with helping to create or retain over 12,000 high-tech jobs, attracting or creating more than 225 technology-based companies, and increasing company sales or new capital investment by more than $500 million.

Over the past 25 years, Dr. Templin's work in workforce training, education, economic development and immigration policy has been featured in such media as National Public Radio, USA Today, PBS National News Hour and Fortune magazine. He was instrumental in the creation of the "Blueprint for Technology-Based Economic Growth in Virginia," a strategic plan outlining the steps that Virginia should take to guide the state's emergence as a leading technology state. He has been named "Virginia Business Newsmaker of the Year" by Virginia Business magazine and was named by Washingtonian magazine as one of "Washington's 150 Most Powerful People" and one of the "100 Tech Titans" of the Washington region.

Dr. Templin has been honored by receiving the Earle C. Williams Leadership in Technology Award from the Northern Virginia Technology Council, the Marta V. Wyatt Award from the Hispanic Committee of Virginia and the 2009 "We Are America Now" award from Northern Virginia Family Service for his commitment to the state's immigrant community, the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Virginia Government by Virginia Commonwealth University, the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region's 2008 Civic Spirit Award for outstanding leadership in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, and the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce's 2008 James M. Rees Award for contributions to the economy and quality of life in Northern Virginia.