The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) marks its 20th anniversary this year and the campus has launched a new chapter in its history with the appointment of Dr. Anne Khademian as USG’s third executive director. Khademian, who joins USG after 17 years with Virginia Tech University, begins her tenure at a challenging time as USG and its partner universities grapple with the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. But she is making rapid inroads in building strong relationships with colleagues and community leaders, and in laying out some of her initial priorities for advancing USG into the future. They include a continued focus on ensuring student success, and on strengthening the future of USG, which she sees as a unique asset for bolstering economic and workforce development in Montgomery County, the state of Maryland and throughout the D.C. metropolitan region.