Austin Community College District (ACC) hosted the 2025 American Association for Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC) Leaders Institute. Nearly 50 community college leaders from across the nation attended the five-day event, which included a daylong visit to ACC.

ACC’s newly appointed Executive Vice Chancellor for the Future and former AAWCC President, Dr. Monique Reeves, and the previous year’s ACC AAWCC Chapter President and Business Dean, Dr. Lorlie Braxton, helped kick off the Institute alongside AAWCC leaders.

“This year marked an extraordinary celebration as we proudly hosted Leaders, a transformative leadership development program reaching its remarkable 50th anniversary. For half a century, this distinguished program has shaped the leaders of tomorrow through unparalleled training experiences guided by some of the most accomplished practitioners in the community college sector,” says Reeves. “Our participants had the rare privilege of learning directly from presidents and other visionary leaders while forging invaluable connections within a national network of dedicated scholar-practitioners. These relationships will undoubtedly fuel innovation and collaboration for years to come.”

On Wednesday, Reeves presented a keynote session titled “You Are Your Best Thing!” The presentation explored topics of personal empowerment and authenticity in leadership.

Attendees visited the ACC Highland Campus on Thursday. ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart and Dr. Reeves welcomed them to the Make It Center, where they participated in sessions on organizational culture and governance. 

Attendees also took a tour of the campus, which featured stops at the College’s IMPACT Lab, Health Sciences Simulation Lab, Culinary Arts kitchens, Fashion and Bioscience Incubators, and the ACCelerator, with a representative from each area providing information and answering questions. 

Among this year’s cohort were nine ACC faculty and staff, representing a broad range of disciplines and leadership roles across the institution:

  • Nereida Celis, Student Support Services Program Director 
  • Oddett Garza-Weatherspoon, Career Scholars Program Interim Director
  • Christine Hall, Admissions & Enrollment Operations/Outreach Regional Director
  • Linda Nicole Johnson, ACCelerator Operations Supervisor
  • Laura Lucas, Strategic Initiatives Senior Director
  • Regina McGough, Child Care & Development Faculty
  • Silke Morin, Biology Faculty
  • Giao Phan, Public and Social Services Dean
  • Sonya Rendon-Rangel, Campus Coordinator

“We were deeply honored to champion nine exceptional individuals through this prestigious leadership development journey. Their energy was infectious, their curiosity boundless, and their commitment to excellence unwavering. Witnessing their growth and dedication reinforced our unwavering confidence that the next generation of leaders possesses the vision, passion, and capability to tackle tomorrow’s greatest challenges,” says Reeves.

For more information about the 2025 AAWCC Leaders Institute, visit aawccnatl.org.