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| Pictured L to R: Cris Valdez, President; Tom Milligan, Trustee; Patti Ross, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; Ken Monnier, Vice President of Engineering, Emerson Climate Technologies. |
The team from Edison included Marvella Fletcher, Trustee; Darryl Mehaffie, Trustee and Vice Chairman of the Board; Tom Milligan Trustee; Jim Thompson, Trustee and Chairman of the Board; Cris Valdez, President; Patti Ross, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; and Heather Lanham, Executive Assistant to the President. Also in attendance was Ken Monnier, Vice President of Engineering at Emerson Climate Technologies. Milligan, Monnier, Valdez, and Ross delivered a presentation titled, “Moving Manufacturing Forward in Southwest Ohio.”
“Of course I am happy to present on behalf of Edison at any level, local, regional, national, international if given a chance, because I believe so much in our mission,” said Tom Milligan. “At this particular conference, it was stimulating to share ideas with trustees from across the country and validating to know that in the area of ‘Moving Manufacturing Forward’ through industry partnerships, the area on which we presented, we are seen as an innovator and leader.”
The presentation outlined Edison’s response to the needs of manufacturers and its willingness to work with high schools, career centers, universities and industry to align curriculum to employers’ needs. Working together with Emerson Climate Technologies and Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc., Edison has piloted new internship opportunities, highlighted pathways from education to employment, and helped ensure that students are ideally prepared to step into local opportunities for employment upon graduation.
“It is a real tribute to our leadership, Dr. Cris Valdez and Dr. Patti Ross in particular, and our industry partners Emerson Climate Technologies, Honda of America and others, to have been able to build meaningful programs that have resulted in degree completion and a direct pathway into the workforce for our students in such a short time,” added Milligan. “The fact that Edison can work at the speed of industry with meaningful deliverables is important to fulfilling our mission as a community college and our region’s ability to remain productive and prosperous.”
Keynote speakers for the four-day conference included Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; J. Noah Brown, ACCT President and CEO; Jamie Merisotis, Lumina Foundation President and CEO; Jim Wigfall, Vice President of Business Support for Boeing’s Shared Services Group; and LeRoy Mitchell, ACCT Chairman.
The 44th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress featured over 80 educational sessions on best practices for community colleges, fundamental and advanced trustee training, and a lively town hall meeting dedicated to determining priorities in the governance of community college student success initiatives. With additional pre-Congress sessions attendees had the opportunity to review fundamental information and further enhance their seasoned expertise.
Founded in 1972, the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is the nonprofit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees of community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond. ACCT’s purpose is to strengthen the capacity of community, technical, and junior colleges and to foster the realization of their missions through effective board leadership at local, state, and national levels. For more information, visit www.acct.org.