Spokane, Wash.] Community Colleges of Spokane’s Chancellor Christine Johnson was surprised and honored to be chosen as the top community college leader in the nation by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), which represents leaders from more than 1,200 community and technical colleges across the country.
Chancellor Johnson was given the CEO of the Year award Friday night (Oct. 28) at the ACCT 2022 Leadership Congress in New York City where she was joined by several CCS trustees and hundreds of community college leaders. Earlier she had been selected as the top CEO for the Pacific Region of the country and last spring was chosen as the top CEO for community and technical colleges in the state of Washington. This ACCT award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in furthering the mission of community and technical colleges.
Johnson was nominated by the CCS Board of Trustees, and her nomination was supported by Spokane community leaders, including GSI CEO Alisha Benson, WSU Spokane Chancellor Daryll DeWald and CCS Foundation Board Chairman Gordon Hester.
“We are so proud of our chancellor, selected top of the Pacific Region and now the nation,” said Glenn Johnson, President of the CCS Board of Trustees. “There are 82 trustees and presidents from our state all cheering for Christine, a friend, mentor and leader to so many.”
Johnson has served as CCS chancellor for 12 years and will be retiring in December. Her nomination noted her vision for community college innovation and her nationwide leadership in advocating for community colleges and the students they serve. She has dedicated her 30-year career to increasing people’s access to quality education and has been called upon by six US Secretaries of Education to assist in developing national education policies. She serves on the boards of numerous national education organizations.
“I’m at once deeply honored, deeply humbled and deeply grateful to so many,” Christine Johnson said after receiving the award. “Grateful to the CCS Board of Trustees for their guidance and support and to the ACCT Trustees for their practice of recognizing community college professionals across the country. I’m particularly grateful to the exceptional team of outstanding professionals who make up the CCS team—at SCC, SFCC and our district: our faculty, our staff and leadership and administration personnel at all levels. It’s a dream team. I’m grateful to our students who bring their dreams, talent and challenges. I’m grateful to our business and policy communities for their support and expectation that we provide them the workforce the region and state need. I’m grateful to the many communities we serve across six counties in Eastern Washington. It is an honor and privilege to serve you!”
The ACCT is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical and junior colleges in the US and beyond. Together, they represent over 11 million community college students across the country.
CCS serves over 30,000 students a year throughout Eastern Washington at two accredited institutions, Spokane Community College (SCC) and Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC) in a six-county area.
Photos from ACCT celebration provided for unlimited use.
For more information or to arrange an interview: Carolyn Casey, CCS Chief Institutional Advancement Officer, Carolyn.casey@ccs.spokane.edu; 509-869-8381
Carolyn Casey
She/her
Chief Institutional Advancement & External Affairs Officer
Community Colleges of Spokane
Office: 509-434-5109 Cell: 509-869-8381
Carolyn.casey@ccs.spokane.edu