College of DuPage provost Dr. Mark Curtis-Chávez chosen for Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program recently announced that Dr. Mark Curtis-Chávez, Provost at College of DuPage, is one of 40 leaders selected for the 2020-21 class of the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship, a highly selected leadership program preparing the next generation of community college presidents to transform institutions to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success.

The Rising Presidents Fellows will embark on a 10-month fellowship beginning in July 2020. Delivered in collaboration with the Stanford Educational Leadership Initiative, the fellows will be mentored by esteemed current and former community college presidents who have achieved exceptional outcomes for students throughout their careers, and will learn strategies to improve student outcomes in and after college, lead internal change, and create strong external partnerships with K-12 schools, four-year colleges, employers and other partners.

"Evidence shows that substantial improvements in student success are achieved only when presidents have the commitment and skill needed to lead change within their institutions and through partnerships in the community," said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. "These fellows have been chosen because they embody that commitment and, we believe, will build their skills even further to become transformational presidents."

College of DuPage President Dr. Brian Caputo offered his congratulations to Curtis-Chávez, who joined College of DuPage in August 2018.

"Dr. Curtis-Chávez is an outstanding leader who has contributed much to College of DuPage over the past two years," he said. "He is highly deserving of the fellowship. We look forward to him bringing back ideas that will advance student success at the college."

The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship responds to the growing need for a new generation of leaders well-equipped to meet the challenges of the future. Nationally, nearly 80 percent of sitting presidents plan to retire in the next decade. While the traditional pathway to the presidency has excluded women and people of color, the incoming class of Aspen Rising Presidents Fellows is composed of 70 percent women and 61 percent people of color and represents institutions of varying sizes and locations.

Together, the 2020-21 fellows are leaders at colleges that collectively serve more than 500,000 students. As well, 42 Rising Presidents Fellowship alumni have become presidents of community colleges that collectively serve an additional 500,000 students nationwide.

2020-21 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellows:

• Arizona: Monica Castaneda, Glendale Community College; Irene Robles-Lopez, Pima Community College; and Kate Smith, Rio Salado Community College

• California: Renee Craig-Marius, Reedley College; Mary Gutierrez, Diablo Valley College; Dilcie Perez, Cerritos College; Star Rivera Lacey, San Diego Continuing Education; Vince Rodriguez, Coastline Community College; Lena Tran, San Jose City College; and Kristina Whalen, Las Positas College

• Florida: Naima Brown, Santa Fe College and Mildred Coyne, Broward College

• Hawaii: Tammi Oyadomari-Chun, University of Hawaii

• Illinois: Mark Curtis-Chávez, College of DuPage

• Maryland: Monica Brown, Montgomery College

• Massachusetts; Paul Hernandez, Mount Wachusett Community College

• Minnesota: DeAnna Burt, South Central College

• Mississippi: Jonathan Woodward, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

• New York: Lloyd Holmes, Monroe Community College

• North Carolina: Margaret Annunziata, Davidson County Community College; Brian Merritt, Central Carolina Community College; and Joel Welch, Western Piedmont Community College

• North Dakota: Kaylyn Bondy, Williston State College

• Oklahoma: Scott Newman, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

• Oregon: Ali Mageehon, Southwestern Oregon Community College

• South Carolina: Jermaine Whirl, Greenville Technical College

• Texas: Tamara Clunis, Amarillo College; Susan Guzman-Trevino, Temple College; Kurt Ewen, Houston Community College; Jennifer Kent, Ranger College; Kimberly Lowry, Lone Star College - Houston North; Donna McDaniel, Texarkana College; Mayra Olivares-Urueta, Tarrant County College; Julie Penley, El Paso Community College; andJackie Thomas, Lone Star College-Tomball

• Virginia: Corey McCray, Tidewater Community College; and Nicole Reaves, Northern Virginia Community College

• Gita Bangera, Bellevue College; Chrissy Davis, Spokane Falls Community College; and Tawny Dotson, Clover Park Technical College.

College of DuPage is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Serving approximately 25,000 students each term, it is the largest public community college in the state of Illinois. The college grants seven associate degrees and offers more than 170 career and technical certificates in over 50 areas of study. For more information, visit cod.edu.

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices and leadership strategies that significantly improve student outcomes. Through the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence, and other initiatives, the College Excellence Program works to improve colleges' understanding and capacity to teach and graduate students, especially the growing population of low-income students and students of color on American campuses. For more information, visit highered.aspeninstitute.org and follow Twitter.com/AspenHigherEd.

Stanford Educational Leadership Initiative strives to help education leaders further develop their ability to transform education systems and drive meaningful change. SELI programs bring together the strengths of Stanford Graduate School of Education and Stanford Graduate School of Business, as well as additional Stanford faculty and resources, to offer multidimensional and immediately impactful professional development programming for practicing leaders in PreK-12, higher education, and policy. By fostering collaboration and building relationships between existing colleagues and among new peers, SELI programs create networks supporting participants' continued learning and organizational improvement. For more information, visit https://seli.stanford.edu/.

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.