MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – SUNY Orange Provost Dr. Erika Hackman was named recently (Jan. 27) by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) as one of four finalists for the association’s 2026 Awards of Excellence in its Rising Star-Executive category.

The AACC annual Awards of Excellence bring national visibility to promising practices, individuals and programs among its member colleges. Winners will be announced at the Awards of Excellence Gala during the AACC Annual conference April 10-14 in Seattle, Wash.

Now in her 10^th year at SUNY Orange, Hackman joined the College’s leadership team as vice president for academic affairs in 2016. In 2023 she was elevated to the role of provost, retaining her academic affairs oversight and title while adding responsibilities as vice president for student services.

“The AACC Awards of Excellence are among the most respected honors in the community college world, by virtue of being awarded by AACC, our national organization,” said Dr. Kristine Young, SUNY Orange president. “Erika has dedicated 10 years to SUNY Orange, transforming our academic affairs division and now guiding student services with the same relentless commitment to access, opportunity, and success.

“She has facilitated innovation, kept students at the center of the work, and quietly made excellence look easy,” Young added. “With her vision and steady leadership, we’re not just part of the national conversation, we’re helping to shape it.”

“I'm deeply honored to be recognized as a Rising Star Executive finalist, as this acknowledgment reflects the collective commitment to student success that drives our work every day,” Hackman said. “I'm grateful to President Young and my dedicated colleagues in academic affairs and student services, whose collaboration has made transformative innovation possible. Over the past decade, I've had the privilege of serving students at a pivotal time in their lives, and this recognition inspires me to continue advancing the mission that community colleges represent—opening doors and transforming lives.”

Hackman directs the College’s academic affairs division—as the College offers 38 degree and certificate programs to a student body of more than 4,000 full- and part-time students—and also oversees SUNY Orange’s libraries, academic support services, Honors Program, Phi Theta Kappa, and Center for Teaching and Learning. Additionally, she provides executive leadership for the student services division, including Admissions, Academic Advising, Accessibility Services, Career Services, Financial Aid, the Registrar’s Office, Wellness Center, Center for Student Involvement, Student Services Central, Testing Center, and opportunity programs for students including TRiO, EOP, CSTEP, and ASAP. Over the past year, she has managed the College’s implementation of the SUNY Reconnect program offering tuition-free community college education in high-demand fields to eligible New York State residents ages 25 to 55.

Hackman currently serves as co-chair of the State University of New York (SUNY) Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee, is a member of the SUNY Transfer Task Force and the New York State Community Colleges Leadership Academy Advisory Board. From 2023 through 2025, she was chair of the New York Association of Chief Academic Officers. She has recently joined EAB’s (formerly known as the Education Advisory Board) national Research Advisory Council.

In her time at SUNY Orange, Hackman spearheaded the College’s acquisition of a $2.9 million Title V grant from the U.S. Department of Education shortly after SUNY Orange was designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution. The grant, entitled PROSPERAR: Moving students from surviving to thriving, is designed to transform the students’ experience and significantly increase students’ retention and completion, especially for Hispanic and low-income students.  Hackman also served as the executive lead for the College’s successful 2023-2024 Middle States Commission on Higher Education Self Study and Reaccreditation.

Her memberships and affiliations include: past president, National Council of Instructional Administrators (affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges), from 2021-present; commissioner, American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Structured Pathways from 2022-25; and trustee, Vision Hudson Valley from 2021-present.

Prior to joining SUNY Orange, Hackman served as the first-ever dean of learning support at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois–a position designed to ensure a cohesive, comprehensive, and effective learning experience for both students and employees.  As dean, Hackman oversaw all academic support services, the first-year experience program, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and served as project director for the college’s $2.1 million Title III grant.

In September 2014, Hackman received the 2014-15 Community College Leadership Award from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Department of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership. The award recognizes outstanding academic and professional accomplishments in the two-year college environment.

Hackman completed her Education Policy, Organization and Leadership doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned both her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and a master’s of education degree in human resource development from UIUC and an associate’s degree from Southwestern Illinois College (formerly Belleville Area College).