Chancellor King Announces 34 SUNY Fellows Complete the Inaugural New York State Community College Leadership Academy Program 

State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced the completion of the inaugural New York State Community College Leadership Academy. Thirty-four fellows—both faculty and staff—from across SUNY’s community colleges participated in the leadership development program designed for emerging leaders to strengthen their critical skills and knowledge to build their campus’s capacity and improve student outcomes.  

New York State, along with Ohio, Michigan, and Texas, were selected to launch and scale up leadership development programs for college practitioners through a year-long curriculum from the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program. The program is funded by the Ascendium Education Group, the ECMC Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation, to strengthen the pipeline of leaders within community colleges who can implement evidence-based reforms that help more students succeed. 

“We are very proud of the knowledge and skill of the talented faculty and staff across SUNY's community colleges,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “The New York State Community College Leadership Academy reflects SUNY’s commitment to developing the next generation of leaders who will strengthen our communities, elevate student success, and ensure New York State has a pipeline of talented and visionary leaders.” 

SUNY Board Trustee Robert J. Duffy said, "Investing in leadership is critical to the success of SUNY campuses and ultimately, the success of SUNY students. These fellows were selected for this fellowship thanks to their potential to become our next generation of leaders, guiding campuses wisely to ensure every New Yorker has an affordable, accessible and welcoming place at SUNY that positions them for success." 

Johanna Duncan-Poitier, Senior Vice Chancellor of Community Colleges and the Education Pipeline, who oversees this program stated, “the exceptional talent and expertise of this inaugural cohort is unparalleled. We thank these outstanding fellows for their commitment to this important work and are excited about their future impact on SUNY’s community college campuses.” 

The fellows were nominated by senior leaders on their campuses based on their proven leadership and experience. The first class of the NYS Community College Leadership Academy Fellows program from SUNY Orange are: 

• Gabriella Ammiano, Program Director, PROSPERAR/Title V 
• Jean Leandre, Vice President for Workforce, Strategy and Innovation 
• Adrienne Victor, Director, Center for Student Involvement 

The NYS Community College Leadership Academy Advisory Board members include:  

• Randy VanWagoner, President of Mohawk Valley Community College, Chair of the Advisory Board 
• Ed Bonahue, President, Suffolk County Community College; 
• DeAnna Burt-Nanna, President, Monroe Community College;  
• Dante Cantu, Vice President & Dean of Student Affairs, SUNY Westchester Community College; 
• Erika Hackman, Vice President for Academic Affairs, SUNY Orange; 
• Lew Kahler, Vice President for Learning & Academic Affairs, Mohawk Valley Community College;  
• Amy Kremenek, President, Tompkins Cortland Community College; and 
• Carol Ross, Vice President for Student Development & Chief Diversity Officer, SUNY Broome. 

The National Center for Inquiry & Improvement is leading this national scale-up project with colleagues at the Aspen College Excellence Program and the Success Center for Ohio’s Community Colleges. The curriculum for this project draws on Aspen’s Curriculum for Community College Excellence and includes the following content sessions: The Essential Roles of Leadership in Student Success; Keeping Students’ End Goals in Mind; The Student Experience; Leadership Traits to Drive Change; Managing and Advancing Institutional Change and Effective External Partnerships & the Leadership Journey. The project partners will support the selected states as they replicate Ohio’s successful program over the next three years.