The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program announced today that Victoria College President Dr. Jennifer Kent was selected for the inaugural class of the Aspen Presidents Fellowship. This program, made possible with support from JPMorgan Chase, focuses on developing a sustainable and comprehensive transformational strategy that advances excellence in student outcomes for all students.
“I’m honored to join the first cohort of the Aspen Institute Presidents Fellowship,” said Kent. “I look forward to working with this group of community college leaders to develop insights that will ultimately help more students succeed at Victoria College.”
The inaugural class of fellows represents the varied landscape of community colleges nationwide. They lead institutions across 14 states that collectively educate over 280,000 students in incredibly varied settings, from a rural college of 700 students to an urban one with enrollment over 24,000.
Selected through a competitive process, Kent and the other fellows will, over 12 months, work closely with a faculty of leading community college presidents and senior staff from the Aspen Institute. They will learn about and compare their practices to those of field-leading colleges; analyze their students’ graduation and post-graduation outcomes; and advance their priority strategies aimed at delivering excellent student outcomes for all students.
Below is the full list of the 2023-24 Aspen Presidents Fellows.
- Lisa Avery | Linn-Benton Community College | Albany, Oregon
- Michael Baston | Cuyahoga Community College | Cleveland, Ohio
- Duane Bedell | Bay Mills Community College | Brimley, Michigan
- Carrie Brimhall | Minnesota State Community and Technical College | Fergus Falls, Minnesota
- Hara Charlier | Central Lakes College | Brainerd, Minnesota
- Marielena DeSanctis | Community College of Denver | Castle Rock, Colorado
- Tawny Dotson | Yuba College | Lincoln, California
- John Enamait | Stanly Community College | Albemarle, North Carolina
- Jermaine Ford | Florence-Darlington Technical College | Florence, South Carolina
- Michael Gutierrez | Hartnell College | Salinas, California
- Valerie Jones | Lone Star College - CyFair | Cypress, Texas
- Shannon Kennedy | Rappahannock Community College | Glenns, Virginia
- Jennifer Kent | Victoria College | Victoria, Texas
- Karen Lee | Honolulu Community College | Honolulu, Hawaii
- Jim Limbaugh | West Los Angeles College | Culver City, California
- Claudia Lourido-Habib | Porterville College | Porterville, California
- Russell Lowery-Hart | Austin Community College | Austin, Texas
- Margaret McMenamin | Union College of Union County, NJ | Cranford, New Jersey
- Paula Pando | Reynolds Community College | Richmond, Virginia
- Amit Singh | Edmonds College | Lynnwood, Washington
- Julius Sokenu | Moorpark College | Moorpark, California
- Tim Stokes | South Puget Sound Community College | Olympia, Washington
- Randall VanWagoner | Mohawk Valley Community College | Utica, New York
- Lynda Villanueva | Lee College | Baytown, Texas
- Julie White | Pierce College | Lakewood, Washington