CCS Chancellor Christine Johnson announced her plan to retire on Dec. 31, 2022. She has been Chancellor to the state’s second largest community colleges system since 2010.
“I have treasured my time at CCS and plan to spend my final year focused on navigating this challenging time and preparing CCS to continue its essential role in serving our community and all of our students,” Chancellor Johnson said. “We have important work to do.”
On Tuesday the Board of Trustees discussed the upcoming transition and the role the trustees play in overseeing the recruitment and selection of a chancellor for CCS. They anticipate launching a nationwide search later this year and will be developing a timeline and process in the months ahead.
“Chancellor Johnson is a respected leader in higher education in our community and across the country,” said Glenn Johnson, Pullman Mayor and President of the CCS Board of Trustees. “We recognize it will be difficult to find another leader with her skills to serve in this important role and are committed to working diligently to find the right person.”
CCS serves a 12,300 square mile service area and includes Spokane Falls and Spokane Community College, a comprehensive Head Start/Early Head Start system and extensive workforce training programs. It has about 2,000 employees and serves nearly 30,000 students.
The Chancellor is a member of the Washington STEM Board of Directors and is a Washington STEM Alliance governor’s appointee. She also is on the Greater Spokane Inc. (GSI) Executive Committee and the Gonzaga University Board of Trustees.
At the national level, Christine Johnson’s service has included the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Board of Directors, Western Governors University Academic Affairs Council, American Association of Community College’s 21st Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges and 21st Century Initiative, Achieving the Dream and The Council for Adult & Experiential Learning (CAEL).
Prior to joining CCS in 2010, Christine Johnson’s career included more than 30 years of teaching, administration, leadership and policy development. Beginning as a high school teacher, she went on to be a nationally recognized urban high school principal, the executive director of K-12 education for Littleton Public Schools, Colo., and was recognized as Colorado Principal of the Year in 1986. She was the director of urban initiatives for the Education Commission of the States and special assistant to the provost at University of Colorado Denver, chief academic officer for Colorado Community College System and president of Community College of Denver.