Congratulations!

2026 ACCT Regional Awards Recipients Announced

7

August

Regional awardees to compete for national-level recognition in October.

The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual Regional Awards for community college trustees, equity programs, chief executive officers, faculty members, and professional board staff members. The 2026 ACCT Awards program is sponsored by Edamerica.

ACCT’s Regional Awards recognize the tremendous contributions made by community colleges and their leaders to meet the needs of their communities.  

“Congratulations to the outstanding leaders who work tirelessly to make community colleges successful,” said ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee. “We are proud to shine a spotlight on the work our members do to change lives every day.” 

The full list of awardees follows.

 

2026 Trustee Leadership Award

CENTRAL REGION

William F. Kelley

William Rainey Harper College, Illinois

 

NORTHEAST REGION

Donna Mihalik

Finger Lakes Community College, New York

 

PACIFIC REGION

Doug Mah

South Puget Sound Community College, Washington

 

SOUTHERN REGION

Zuzana Steen

Northern Virginia Community College, Virginia

 

WESTERN REGION

Clint Kingsbery

Alamo Colleges District, Texas

 

2026 Impact and Success Award

 

CENTRAL REGION

Marion Technical College, Ohio

 

NORTHEAST REGION

Mohawk Valley Community College, New York

 

PACIFIC REGION

South Puget Sound Community College, Washington

 

SOUTHERN REGION

Forsyth Technical Community College, North Carolina 

 

WESTERN REGION

Northeast Community College, Nebraska

 

2026 Chief Executive Officer Award

 

CENTRAL REGION

Avis Proctor

William Rainey Harper College, Illinois

 

NORTHEAST REGION

Anthony J. Iacono

County College of Morris, New Jersey

 

PACIFIC REGION

José Fierro

Cerritos College, California

 

SOUTHERN REGION

Joe Pickens

St. Johns River State College, Florida

 

WESTERN REGION

Joe Schaffer

Laramie County Community College, Wyoming

 

2026 Professional Board Staff Member Award

 

CENTRAL REGION

Keith Everett Book

Jackson College, Michigan

 

NORTHEAST REGION

Jaime M. Segal

UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey

 

PACIFIC REGION

Trisha Haggerty

Peninsula College, Washington

 

SOUTHERN REGION

Sara Singleton

Forsyth Technical Community College, North Carolina

 

WESTERN REGION

Denise Wilson

Alamo Colleges District, Texas

 

2026 Faculty Member Award 

 

CENTRAL REGION

Amani Wazwaz

Moraine Valley Community College, Illinois

 

NORTHEAST REGION

Alexis Vogt

Monroe Community College, New York

 

PACIFIC REGION

Sharon Mitchler

Centralia College, Washington

 

SOUTHERN REGION

Millie Massey

Midlands Technical College, South Carolina 

 

WESTERN REGION

Sherry Rogers

Dodge City Community College, Kansas

 

Regional ACCT Awards were announced via ACCT's LinkedIn and ACCT Connect accounts.

Individuals and colleges recognized at the regional level will contend for the national-level recognition of the following ACCT Association Awards: 

  • M. Dale Ensign Trustee Leadership Award; 
  • Impact and Success Award; 
  • Marie Y. Martin Chief Executive Award; 
  • ACCT Professional Board Staff Member Award; and
  • William H. Meardy Faculty Member Award.

One outstanding award recipient in each category will be announced during the Annual ACCT Awards Gala on Wednesday, October 24, in Chicago, Illinois, in conjunction with the 2026 ACCT Leadership Congress. 
 

About ACCT

The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,000 community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond. For more information, go to www.acct.org. Follow ACCT on LinkedIn.