The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE, Va. (VR) —The Mountain Gateway Community College (MGCC) Educational Foundation has appointed Bruce Loving as its executive director following a successful interim tenure. Loving will lead the foundation’s next phase of growth, expanding scholarships, strengthening donor
stewardship, and deepening partnerships that advance student success and regional workforce development.
“We are excited to welcome Bruce into this permanent leadership role,” said Dr. John J. Rainone, president of Mountain Gateway Community College. “His passion for education and deep ties to the nonprofit community make him an ideal leader to advance the foundation’s mission and support
our students.”
Since joining the foundation in 2023, Loving, a Clifton Forge native, has helped secure more than $1.5 million in support, authored a successful $712,800 grant proposal to fund key student success initiatives, and guided the foundation’s signature fundraising event, Bubbles, Bands & Brunch. He
also leads the foundation’s Give Local Alleghany Highlands campaigns, which secured a record-breaking $587,601 in 2025 and earned the Alleghany Foundation’s Grand Prize (Large Organization).
“I am grateful to the MGCC Educational Foundation for the opportunity to build on its strong momentum and deepen our impact across the region,” Loving said. “My goal is to position the foundation as a statewide leader in community college philanthropy by strengthening sustainable funding, expanding strategic partnerships, and fostering a lasting culture of investment in student success.”
“Bruce has proven he can deliver outstanding results. We’re thrilled to have his leadership as we work to make MGCC more accessible and affordable for our students,” said Lois W. Switzer, president of the MGCC Educational Foundation Board.
“Mountain Gateway Community College is a vital engine for opportunity in our region, and the MGCC Foundation’s fundraising and partnerships are central to that mission,” said Mary Fant Donnan, executive director of The Alleghany Foundation. “The MGCC leadership’s focus on outcomes and strong collaboration will help more students access the education and support they need.”
Loving brings three decades of cross-sector leadership in the arts, advocacy and law. His senior posts include Washington National Opera, Virginia Opera, Carolina Ballet and Round House Theatre. He raised more than $6 million at Greenpeace USA and earlier served on the legal team for the $8.3
billion reorganization of Federated Department Stores which resulted in the modern-day Macy’s.
Loving is the president of the Historic Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge, past president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Virginia’s Blue Ridge Chapter in Roanoke, and a board member of the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism in Covington.
He is a graduate of Mary Washington College and the University of Virginia School of Law. At Mary Washington, he was class valedictorian and inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board, Phi Alpha Theta and Pi Gamma Mu. At the University of Virginia School of Law, he served as an editor of “The
Journal of Law & Politics,” a student-run law review publication.
To support scholarships and student success initiatives at MGCC, visit mgcc.edu/foundation or contact Executive Director Bruce Loving at 540-863-2835 or foundation@mgcc.edu.
