Christine Johnson, PhD, Chancellor of Community Colleges of Spokane, will be honored Thursday with the statewide Chief Executive Officer of the Year Award by the Washington State Association of College Trustees (ACT) at its spring conference in Tacoma.
This ACT award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in furthering the mission of community and technical colleges and recognizes dedication to Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges and the nearly 388,000 students they serve each year.
Johnson was nominated by the CCS Board of Trustees and her nomination was supported by Spokane community leaders.
“Spokane has been fortunate to have Dr. Johnson as the chancellor of our community colleges and as trustees, we were all enthusiastic in forwarding her nomination to ACT,” said CCS Trustee President Glenn Johnson. “We know she has been an outstanding CEO and to read the additional letters of support from the community was heartwarming.”
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.
“Chancellor Johnson leads in the community and is a strong voice for the benefit of the community college experience,” said Gordon Hester, CCS Foundation Board Chairman and CEO of Kiemle Hagood, in his letter of support. “I sit on the Greater Spokane Incorporated Board with her, where she continuously connects with the business community to advocate for our community colleges and support a vibrant relationship with business owners.”
This was echoed by GSI CEO Alisha Benson who wrote, “Throughout Dr. Johnson’s tenure as Chancellor of Community Colleges of Spokane, she has been a guiding force behind increasing opportunities for those seeking education and providing them with the skills necessary to drive our workforce. She understands the important role the community colleges have in supporting a healthy economy and economic development in our region."
“Dr. Christine Johnson has impacted hundreds of thousands of lives in immeasurable way,” said Daryll DeWald, Chancellor of WSU Spokane. “Her commitment to others via her educational/administrative and leadership activities is a legacy of change in society that few people ever achieved.”
CCS is a community college district comprised of two accredited colleges, Spokane Community College (SCC) and Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC). In addition to serving a large population in greater Spokane, the district provides educational services to rural communities throughout a 12,302 square-mile region in Eastern Washington. This region includes all of Spokane, Stevens, Whitman, Ferry, and Pend Oreille counties, and portions of Lincoln County. SCC is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and governed by the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.
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