President Kenneth Adams of LaGuardia Community College Chosen for The Aspen Institute’s Presidents Fellowship
One of 25 Community College Leaders Selected for a Fellowship Focused on Improving Access, Completion, and Post-Grad Success for Students
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY— (October 22, 2024) – Today, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) announced that President Kenneth Adams of LaGuardia Community College/CUNY is one of 25 innovative leaders selected from across the country to participate in the second cohort of the Aspen Presidents Fellowship, sponsored by JPMorgan Chase. The fellows will engage in a unique year-long professional development experience that will help them refine and enact a reform agenda to help more of their students succeed both during and after college.
“Community colleges educate millions of diverse students every year who are relying on them to deliver the education and credentials they need for a fulfilling life and career,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. “I am delighted that these 25 accomplished presidents have committed to strengthening their institutions’ strategies to ensure that more students achieve those aims.”
Through the year-long program, fellows will work with highly accomplished community college presidents, Aspen leaders, and each other to analyze their college’s outcomes and develop concrete plans inspired by field-leading practices. They will engage in a curriculum that will include exemplars from the field, data reports on available good jobs and student outcomes in completion and transfer, and qualitative reports about how well their current practices are aligned to what research reveals has led other colleges to high and equitable levels of student success.
This second cohort of Aspen Presidents Fellows reflects our country’s diverse talent: 52 percent are women and 44 percent are people of color. They join a network of 375 fellowship alumni, 176 of whom are community college presidents today. Aspen connects and supports this growing network of community college reform leaders with opportunities for targeted professional development, research briefings, and convenings at national conferences.
“I am honored to be selected for this wonderful development opportunity to engage and exchange ideas with other community college presidents from across the country, said Kenneth Adams, President of LaGuardia Community College. Community colleges are well positioned to reaffirm the value proposition of a college education. The Aspen Presidents Fellowship will give us the tools to enhance our students’ success and make that case.”
The Presidents Fellowship is made possible with philanthropic support from JPMorgan Chase through the firm’s New Skills at Work initiative, which aims to prepare young people for the future of work and meet the growing demand for skilled workers, and JPMorgan Chase’s $30 billion commitment to advancing racial equity and driving an inclusive economy.
2024 – 2025 Aspen Presidents Fellows
- Kenneth Adams, LaGuardia Community College
- Margaret Annunziata, Isothermal Community College
- Alison Buckley, SUNY Ulster
- Kristie Fisher, Kirkwood Community College
- Tracy Hall, Southwest Tennessee Community College
- David Harrison, Columbus State Community College
- John Hartog, Northwest Iowa Community College
- Eric Heiser, Coconino Community College
- Mike Hobbs, Georgia Highlands College
- Nerita Hughes, Bay de Noc Community College (Bay College)
- Lennor Johnson, Imperial Valley College
- Vicki Karolewics, Wallace State Community College
- Bill Mullaney, SUNY Corning Community College
- Tony Munroe, Borough of Manhattan Community College
- Curt Oldfield, Spoon River College
- Juston Pate, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
- Avis Proctor, Harper College
- Minita Ramirez, Laredo College
- Pedro Rivera, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
- Hope Rivers, Piedmont Technical College
- Pamela Senegal, Piedmont Community College
- Brian Shonk, University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville
- Janet Spriggs, Forsyth Technical Community College
- Jill Stearns, Cuesta College
- Daria Willis, Howard Community College
For bios and photos of the Aspen Presidents Fellows, visit: highered.aspeninstitute.org/programs/aspen-presidents-fellowship#meet-the-2024-2025-class.
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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to strengthen higher education leadership and practice to improve student outcomes—with the ultimate goal of advancing economic mobility and developing talent for the good of all people and society as a whole. For more information on our latest findings, research, and news, visit our website, subscribe to our newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
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. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $3.7 trillion and operations worldwide. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of customers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.
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