Meet the Team

Victoria Maxey | Life and Career Coach | vmaxey@pvcc.edu 

Victoria MaxeyVictoria started as an Enrollment Specialist with PVCC Workforce Services, made a smooth transition as the Administrative Assistant and finally landed in her current role as a Life and Career Coach with Network2Work @PVCC.

She is born and raised in Buckingham County, Virginia and her entire work history has involved her striving for exceptional customer service.  She has a strong desire to help others, which makes the position she holds in the program a great fit. She and her husband have four beautiful children, whom they truly adore.  

 

Ridge Schuyler | Dean, Community Self-Sufficiency Programs | rschuyler@pvcc.edu

Ridge Schuyler

Ridge serves as dean of Piedmont Virginia Community College’s two Community Self-Sufficiency Programs (Network2Work @PVCC and TJACE @PVCC) which utilize multiple resources in our community to identify and support people being left behind in our economy, and provides the training and supports they need to find quality employment in our community. 

He graduated from the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia School of Law. Ridge spent 10 years on Capitol Hill serving as chief of staff to U.S. Congressman Rick Boucher and chief policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Charles S. Robb of Virginia. In 2011, Ridge published the Orange Dot Report which analyzed the economic struggles facing a considerable portion of Charlottesville’s families and suggested solutions. Ridge founded and directs the Charlottesville Works Initiative, a partnership between the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce and Piedmont Virginia Community College, to implement those solutions.

Malena L. Smith | Office Manager/RFA Administrator| msmith@pvcc.edu

Malena Smith

   Malena joins Network2Work having twelve years of experience working at the college in various roles, including
   previously managing PVCC's culinary campus at the Jefferson School City Center. While there she also obtained
   her Associates degree in Culinary Arts. Malena also has an extensive thirty year background in executive and office
   management. Having served as the human resource manager for several years at an adolescent mental and
   behavioral health hospital, Malena fully adopted the moto of circumstances do not define a person. She is excited to
   join Network2Work and be a part of a collective team who shares this same outlook. Malena strives for excellent
   customer service and is eager to be a part of helping our job seekers understand they too can overcome anything
   and make successful life and career changes.

In her spare time Malena enjoys growing her photography portfolio specializing in nature and historical architecture. She is heavily involved in animal advocacy and prior to the pandemic was an active member of a community emergency management animal response team. She also has a small farm where she cares for seventeen abused, neglected, and disabled farm and companion animals.