DENVER – There was some fire in the belly among the winners of the AACC Awards of Excellence at Monday night’s gala celebration during the AACC Annual Convention.
Several of the winners called out the importance of community colleges, lauding their flexibility and ability to serve as anchors in their communities.
Beverly Walker-Griffea, president of Michigan’s Mott Community College, who won the CEO of the Year Award, noted the challenges that her college and community of Flint have faced over the years, from polluted public water to cyber hacks.
Yet MCC has endured through it all with resistance: “Take a stand and say ‘Not today. Not today,’” Walker-Griffea said.
Minah Woo, vice president of workforce, innovation and strategic partnerships at Howard Community College (Maryland), echoed a similar sentiment earlier in the evening when she received the Rising Star-Executive Award.
Changes in the workforce, growing demand for skilled workers and questions about the value of a four-year degree have put community colleges in the spotlight, she said. And two-year colleges have always risen to the challenge, whether it’s about access to higher education, social justice or other obstacles facing their students.
“The country is looking to us again,” Woo said.
This year’s winner
This year there were 10 award categories in the 2023 AACC Awards of Excellence. The finalists were selected by a committee of AACC board members, chaired by immediate past board chair Richard Rhodes, chancellor of Austin Community College (Texas).
The winners are:
Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award
Broward College (Florida)
Community College Safety, Emergency Preparedness and Leadership
Community College of Baltimore County (Maryland)
Faculty Innovation
Yuri Villanueva, associate professor, Broward College (Florida)
Outstanding College/Corporate Partnership
Broward College (Florida) and Bank of America
Student Success
Florida’s Tallahassee Community College
Rising Star – Manager
Ana Nanney, executive director of enrollment, L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College (Louisiana)
Rising Star – Executive
Minah Woo, vice president of workforce, innovation and strategic partnerships, Howard Community College (Maryland)
Faculty Member of the Year
Amy Powers, Waubonsee Community College (Illinois)
Trustee of the Year
Deborah McCasland of Yavapai College (Arizona)
CEO of the Year Award
Beverly Walker-Griffea, president of Mott Community College (Michigan)
