ACCT

WASHINGTON, DC - October 10, 2007 - More than 2,000 community college trustees, presidents and leaders participated in the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) 2007 Community College Leadership Congress. The event was held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego, California from September 26 through September 29.

The annual event featured four keynote speakers: James Carmichael Renick, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Programs and Research, American Council on Education (ACE); Richard D. Stephens, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, The Boeing Company; Harry Pachon, Ph.D., President, Thomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California; and Bob H. Suzuki, Ph.D., President Emeritus, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Speakers shared their insights on demographic trends, workforce needs, competitiveness and the national implications of the changing population in our communities.

"Our organization must be leading the charge for educational change" said Lynda Stanley, ACCT Chair and Trustee at Brunswick Community College, NC. "It is our responsibility to connect students in our communities with the educational tools they need to be successful. Our country is changing and as trustees we can help secure its future by working hard for our colleges. The sessions and speakers at this meeting have helped illustrate steps to accomplish this."

With pre-Congress sessions on effective governance, CEO contracts, and a repeat of the popular Governance Leadership Institute, attendees experienced many opportunities to review fundamental skills and enhance their seasoned expertise. Also, Congress attendees had the opportunity to attend over 75 sessions on best practices for their college, fundamental and advanced trustee training, a special "Town Hall" meeting on the Trends and Changes in the Presidency: What Trustees Need to Know, and much more.

ACCT's Board of Directors elected new officers to its executive committee: Lynda Stanley, Chair, Brunswick Community College, NC; Arthur Anthonisen, Chair-Elect, Orange County Community College, NY; Thomas M. Bennett, Vice-Chair, Parkland College, IL; Peter E. Sercer, Sr., Secretary-Treasurer, Midlands Technical College, SC; and Kitty Boyle, Immediate Past-Chair, Dallas County Community College District, TX.

Newly and re-elected Regional Chairs include: Dave Maguire (Central) Spoon River Community College, IL; James R. Perry (Northeast) Union County College, NJ; Gloria Guzman (Pacific) Central Arizona College, AZ; Greg Schuckman (Southern) Northern Virginia Community College, VA; M. Thomas Perkins (Western) Western Nebraska Community College, NE.

Newly elected Regional Directors are Roberto Uranga (Pacific) Long Beach Community College District, CA; Elizabeth Y. Chen (Pacific) Highline Community College, WA; Ken Bartlett (Western) Rose State College, OK; and Doris Dewton (Western) Colorado Mountain College, CO.

Donald L. Singer, San Bernardino Community College District, CA; Dorothy "Dottie" Smith, State Center Community College District, CA; and Celia Turner, Mott Community College, MI, were elected as Directors-At-Large during ACCT's Senate Meeting on Friday, September 28. James Polk, Illinois Central College, was also appointed to the Board of Directors.

ACCT is a not-for-profit association composed of more than 6,500 publicly elected and appointed trustees serving on the 600 governing boards of community, junior and technical colleges in the United States, Canada, and England. For more information about the Leadership Congress and ACCT programs and services, visit www.acct.org.