Northwestern College Welcomes New CAO, Dr. Tonya Troka
Northwestern College recently welcomed Tonya M. Troka, Ed.D. as the new Chief Academic Officer of the 115 year old family-owned institution. Dr. Troka will oversee the College's entire academic team and provide forward thinking leadership and strategic planning for growth and development in all academic areas of the institution. She comes to the College following a 14 year career at the Colorado Technical University where she concluded her tenure as University Dean of the Department of General Education & Psychology. In addition, she continues to serve as a trained Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accrediting body.
As Chief Academic Officer (CAO) of Northwestern College, Dr. Troka will oversee all academic areas, including programs, program department chairs, faculty, academic operations, clinical coordinators and the college's library. Her leadership of the academic team, including faculty and staff, will further serve to develop and administer high quality curriculum that fosters student success. In addition, Dr. Troka will develop and implement short and long-term academic planning designed to add employment value through quality improvement to the college's educational delivery modalities.
Dr. Troka brings her extensive background in higher education academics to Northwestern College. Throughout her career she has maintained a keen focus on student success, all while serving in a broad span of roles, including Director of Student Advising, Director of Learning Services, Program Chair, and Program Director before being named a University Dean. Throughout the course of her career, Dr. Troka has led numerous student success initiatives, primarily focusing on non-traditional and under-served students. As an educator, she has complimented her leadership roles by maintaining actual connections to the "classroom", simultaneously teaching online courses as an Associate Professor for the past eleven years.
Dr. Troka earned her Bachelors and Masters of Arts (BA/MA) in Communication and her Doctor of Education (EdD) in Adult and Higher Education, all from Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Illinois. Upon attaining her BA, she was awarded a 2-year Teaching Assistant Fellowship at NIU and taught Television Studio Production as she was pursuing her MA.
Thereafter, Troka was hired by Colorado Technical University (CTU) Online as a Student Advisor. Over the course of six years, she worked her way up to and eventually led the Student Advising Department as the Director of Student Advising. She also served in the Director of Learning Services role and the role of Program Chair and Program Director for General Education. Troka served as the Program Director throughout the time she was pursuing her doctorate degree and was promoted to University Dean for General Education & Psychology in 2017.
During the course of obtaining her own education and thereafter, Dr. Troka has focused on innovation and student success. Over the past several years she has co-presented throughout the country at numerous higher education conferences and expositions, as well as co-authored publications on point - all focused on innovation, student success, and thoughtful leadership within higher education. Most recently, Dr. Troka co-presented a session at the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Accelerate conference in Florida entitled, Scale, Sustainability, and Success: Creating a Leadership Strategy for Innovation. Her 2016 doctoral dissertation, Understanding directed self-placement as it relates to student success and persistence, further emphasizes her directed focus.
"We are excited to welcome Dr. Tonya Troka to Northwestern College," commented Lawrence Schumacher, Northwestern College President. "In addition to her proven academic and leadership skills, it is her continual emphasis on student persistence and success that makes her an exceptional addition to the College."
Dr. Troka and her husband Christopher have been married for nearly ten years and reside in Huntley, Illinois with their two young children and French bulldog.
About Northwestern College:
Northwestern College (NC) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, 230 S. LaSalle St., Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604, (312) 263-0456, www.hlcommission.org. The college offers focused career-oriented associate degree and certificate programs with flexible schedules and a supportive faculty. Day, evening, weekend, online classes and online programs are available. More information can be found at www.NC.edu or by calling toll-free (888) 205-2283.