Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is honored to receive the 2022 Equity Award for the southern region from the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). ACCT's regional awards recognize the tremendous contributions made by community colleges and their leaders as they work to meet the needs of their communities. The 2022 ACCT Awards program is sponsored by Edamerica.
“I am delighted that ACCT is recognizing NOVA’s commitment to inclusive excellence with the regional Equity Award,” said Anne M. Kress, president of NOVA. “This award is a testament to the incredible dedication of our faculty and staff. Every day, they work to provide access to opportunity and deliver a world-class education so every student can succeed.”
“We cannot thank ACCT enough for this designation,” said Dr. Nathan Carter, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer (CDEIO) at NOVA. “We are so proud that when students walk on our campus, they see some of their own lived experiences and identity in our buildings, on our signage and in the classroom. As a national model, we will continue our work in this space to ensure all our students have equal opportunity to grow and be heard as they strive for educational success.”
NOVA’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strives to create and sustain a more inclusive and accepting college community by accepting different ideas, values, beliefs, intersectionalities, abilities and perspectives. The College has hosted regular “Listen and Learn Sessions” to hear and understand the challenges facing communities of color. NOVA has also held Equity Data Summits for teaching faculty focused on reviewing disaggregated data and understanding how high-impact practices and culturally responsive pedagogy can improve student learning outcomes.
Since Dr. Carter was named CDEIO, NOVA has received two grants to further its DEI efforts. In February 2021, the College received an Equity Transfer Initiative (ETI) Grant from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) focused on developing a workplan to improve transfer rates for Latinx/Hispanic student populations. In October, NOVA was also awarded a $1.4-million-dollar U.S. Department of Education AANAPISI Grant, which will provide support to AAPI students in need of educational and career-building support systems.
"Community colleges are unique institutions dedicated to making high-quality higher education accessible for all Americans," said ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee. "This year's regional ACCT awardees represent the most outstanding people and programs from throughout the country, and we are excited to be able to bring attention to them."
The full list of awardees follows:
2022 Regional ACCT Awardees
2022 Trustee Leadership Award
CENTRAL REGION
Robert Proctor
Lansing Community College, Mich.
NORTHEAST REGION
Allen Williams
Monroe Community College, N.Y.
PACIFIC REGION
Deborah Ikeda
State Center Community College, Calif.
&
Ray Sigafoos
Yavapai College, Ariz.
SOUTHERN REGION
Andre Lassiter
Roanoke-Chowan Community College, N.C.
WESTERN REGION
Diane Keller
Central Community College, Neb.
2022 Equity Award
CENTRAL REGION
Lansing Community College, Mich.
NORTHEAST REGION
Community College of Baltimore County, Md.
PACIFIC REGION
California Community Colleges Board of Governors
SOUTHERN REGION
Northern Virginia Community College, Va.
WESTERN REGION
El Paso Community College, Texas
2022 Chief Executive Officer Award
CENTRAL REGION
Dr. Dorey Diab
North Central State College, Ohio
NORTHEAST REGION
Dr. Christopher Reber
Hudson County Community College, N.J.
PACIFIC REGION
Dr. Christine Johnson
Community Colleges of Spokane, Wash.
SOUTHERN REGION
Dr. Kyle Wagner
Northeastern Technical College, S.C.
WESTERN REGION
Dr. Paul Illich
Southeast Community College, Neb.
2022 Faculty Member Award
CENTRAL REGION
Dr. Lisa Bergin
Minneapolis Community & Technical College, Minn.
NORTHEAST REGION
Patricia Maloney-Titland
Rockland Community College, N.Y.
PACIFIC REGION
Dr. James Chen
South Puget Sound Community College, Wash.
&
Dr. Karen Palmer
Yavapai College, Ariz.
SOUTHERN REGION
Benji McCollum
Midlands Technical College, S.C.
WESTERN REGION
Brian Anderson
Northeast Community College, Neb.
2022 Professional Board Staff Member Award
CENTRAL REGION
Heidi Soodsma
Lakeshore Technical College, Wisc.
NORTHEAST REGION
Monica Rausa Williams
Ann Arundel Community College, Md.
PACIFIC REGION
Mary Lou Hernandez
Central Arizona College, Ariz.
&
Yvonne Sandoval
Yavapai College, Ariz.
SOUTHERN REGION
Michael Zanfardino
Midlands Technical College, S.C.
WESTERN REGION
Sharon Wright
Houston Community College, Texas
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up