Linda Watkins has been associated with community colleges for 20 years. She currently serves as President of San Jacinto College South in Houston, Texas. Before becoming President, Linda taught on all levels from middle school through graduate school. She has served in various administrative roles, including department chair, dean, Vice President of Instruction, and Vice President of Student Services. Linda has been certified by Company of Experts.net as an Appreciate Inquiry Facilitator. She works with many local organizations in the areas of planning and organizational change. Linda holds a doctoral degree in Secondary and Higher Education, a masters degree in sociology, and a bachelor of arts in language studies. She works with groups to bring about change through systematic planning and by building upon the strengths of individuals and institutions. |
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Tag Archives: accreditation and program assessment
Frank Gornick
Frank Gornick is chancellor of a community college district in California serving one of the poorest regions of the nation. Enrollment has increased three fold since 1994 while the total district revenues have been matched with an aggressive federal and state grant program. The district consists of two colleges, as well as centers throughout the 3,000 square mile service area. In 2002, the district was recognized by the Met Life Foundation “For excellence in promoting education and economic advancement for underserved youth and adults.” In 2004, the college district was awarded the prestigious California Community College Chancellor’s Diversity Award for Excellence for its work in promoting and hiring a diverse administrative staff. Campus Compact recently featured this college in its spring publication: One with the Community: Indicators of Engagement at Minority-Serving Institutions. Dr. Gornick has led an aggressive campaign for child care in his district with a goal of placing a college-operated child care facility in every community the district serves. The district’s intent is to address the whole family’s educational needs and promote access to education through the use of these centers. He has fostered the aggressive use of technology by forging strategic partnerships with Cisco Systems, Pacific Bell, Federal agencies, local Workforce Investment Boards and others to deliver low cost solutions of access to technology. This effort has led to one of the most advanced on-line educational programs in the state–if not the nation. Retention rates exceed 75 percent. His staff has exploded the myth that poor citizens without access to computers will shun on-line educational opportunities. His low-key yet high energy approach to leadership encourages people by example and with enthusiasm. He has transformed the college into a district that knows what it is doing and cares about the people it is enabling. Dr. Gornick joined forces with community college presidents, AACC and business leaders to begin the discussion of the future of education in our country. Dr. Gornick wrote an article for the Community College Journal, December/January 2006 edition titled: A Call to Action: Reclaiming our Competitive Advantage. Dr. Gornick and the other leaders are beginning the dialogue on a national level this year. |
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Barbara Kerr
Barbara A. Kerr has worked in higher education as a faculty member, an administrator, a consultant, and an executive coach. As part of her consulting services, she has assisted three Washington State college boards in hiring their college presidents, and has facilitated the hiring of many other college administrators and faculty. Currently, Barbara is the principal of a Seattle-based consulting firm that provides coaching and consulting services to government, non-profits, higher education, and business organizations. Barbara has completed a post-graduate training course as a Master Certified Executive Coach and is a certified administrator of the EQ-i, an emotional intelligence inventory, as well as a number of other assessments to assist individuals, teams, and organizations in moving forward. She has developed a unique dual coaching process that provides individual coaching for executives while at the same improves and enhances the work of the executive team as a whole. She has developed expertise in working with individuals and teams to assist them in clarifying their values, creating a vision in alignment with those values, building a plan of action, and supporting the implementation and assessment of the plan. She has also developed an interactive board game to assist clients in better understanding the concepts of emotional intelligence, as well as how to enhance their own competencies. She is the author of several books, including “Read All Your Life” and co-author of “You Can Choose Your Own Life.” Her clients have included many two and four-year colleges and universities, Center for Information Services, Commission on Colleges and Universities, United States Navy, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Washington Educational Leadership Association, Olympic Mental Health Associates, Washington Mutual Bank, the Charles Moriarty Foundation, and a number of individual executives and administrators. Barbara has a Ph.D and an M.A. in English from Temple University. |
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