Dr. Patricia Claghorn began her career with Gloucester County College in 2004 as the executive director of corporate and professional development in the Division of Continuing Education. She was promoted to the position of Dean of Continuing Education in 2005 and held that position until June 2012, when she was promoted to the position of Dean of Business Studies.
Dr. Claghorn also worked in the private sector as the director of Human Resources for Silo, the former national electronics and appliance retailer, and as the director of staffing for Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts in Atlantic City. As the director of staffing for Trump, she was responsible for the staffing of four hotel and casino resorts with more than 12,000 employees. In that position, she led an effort to assist her staff in obtaining SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) and PHR (Professional in Human Resources) certifications while simultaneously obtaining her own SPHR designation.
In addition to her responsibilities at the College, Dr. Claghorn is very involved with the community, serving as a member of the Gloucester County Workforce Development Board and a Board Member of the Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Claghorn has received many accolades for her leadership including the NJ Business Person of the Year by the Future Business Leaders of America (1998), the Dr. Patricia Donohue Leadership Award by the American Association for Women in Community Colleges (2011), "25 Women to Watch" by South Jersey Biz Magazine (2013), A Woman in Leadership recognition recipient, awarded by the Southern New Jersey Chapter of the American Red Cross (2013), and was named as one of the "Super Women" by South Jersey Magazine (2015). In December of 2016, she was honored as one of the "19 Executives of the Year" by South Jersey Biz Magazine. Fully committed to the advancement of women, she chaired the county's Women in Technology Fair for 8th and 9th grade girls for 10 years so that young women could explore careers in Business and STEM. In 2012, she worked with the administration, faculty, and staff of RCGC to establish the College's first chapter of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges, for which she served as President for 5 years.
Dr. Claghorn earned her bachelor of science in psychology with an emphasis in business from The Pennsylvania State University, her master of arts in industrial and labor relations from Saint Francis University and a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and Innovation from Wilmington University. She resides in Turnersville, N.J., with her husband and is the proud parent of two children who completed their bachelor degrees. Both of her children attended Rowan College at Gloucester County .
Dr. Claghorn can be reached at 856-468-5000 (ext. 5504) or [email protected].
