Austin Community College District’s (ACC) Academic Affairs Division is strengthening its commitment to becoming a future-ready organization by creating and advancing several key leadership roles focused on strategic planning, operational alignment, digital learning, and student success. These positions were established through the reallocation of existing resources and vacant positions, requiring no new funding while expanding the College’s capacity to improve processes, structures, and services that support students, faculty, and staff.
The appointments of David Borden as associate vice chancellor of Strategy and Alignment, Dr. Nancy Stano as dean of Strategic Scheduling, and Dr. Karina Hernandez as dean of Digital Learning reflect Academic Affairs’ ongoing efforts to align systems, leverage data-informed decision-making, and create more coordinated pathways for student success.
“I am so proud of the leadership team in Academic Affairs, and these appointments serve to strengthen an already robust and collaborative team,” Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Dr. Gaye Lynn Scott said, “Leading with the future in mind, and centering students in all of our work, will move us forward strategically and will ensure that our work is responsive to ever-changing conditions and has a positive impact on everyone we serve.”
Building a More Strategic and Connected Academic Affairs
These leadership roles support several Academic Affairs priorities to improve operational efficiency, strengthen coordination across departments, expand student access, and ensure the College is positioned to meet evolving educational and workforce needs. Ultimately, the changes support ongoing efforts to achieve our North Star goal of reaching a 70% completion rate by 2030.
The new Office of Strategic Scheduling will centralize scheduling data, analysis, and course-planning insights to better align course offerings with student demand. At the same time, Academic Affairs Strategy and Alignment will bring together curriculum management, strategic scheduling, and process improvement efforts under a unified leadership structure designed to reduce complexity and improve collaboration across the institution.
Meet the New Leaders
David Borden, Associate Vice Chancellor of Strategy and Alignment
Borden brings nearly two decades of leadership experience at ACC and extensive expertise in strategic planning, organizational improvement, and cross-functional collaboration. In his new role, he oversees the alignment of curriculum management, strategic scheduling, process improvement initiatives, and other operational priorities designed to strengthen coordination across Academic Affairs.
Most recently, Borden served as managing director of instructional operations and initiatives, where he led collegewide strategic planning efforts, supported instructional budgeting and compliance, coordinated major institutional initiatives, and developed systems to improve transparency and collaboration across the College.
Throughout his ACC career, he spearheaded numerous student success initiatives, including the creation of ACC Works, Adult Career Scholars, and several workforce-focused partnerships and grant-funded programs.
His work consistently focused on identifying institutional gaps, building scalable solutions, and creating systems that better support students and employees alike.
“We hope to simplify and clarify processes across Academic Affairs, so that faculty and staff can spend more time helping and teaching students rather than struggling with internal systems,” Borden said.
Dr. Nancy Stano, Dean of Strategic Scheduling
As ACC’s first dean of Strategic Scheduling, Stano leads the newly established Office of Strategic Scheduling. She provides collegewide leadership for scheduling strategy, enrollment analytics, and data-informed planning. Her work already helped transform ACC’s scheduling practices by developing annual scheduling models, centralized planning resources, and processes that better align course offerings with student needs.
Since joining ACC in 2012, Stano has served in several leadership roles, including associate dean of strategic scheduling, assistant dean of pathways, data, and assessment, and department chair. She also served as president of the Faculty Senate and co-led multiple collegewide initiatives focused on student success, scheduling innovation, and leadership development.
Prior to ACC, Stano held leadership positions with the Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin and currently serves as a teaching and learning coach with Achieving the Dream, supporting colleges nationwide in scaling student success initiatives.
“Scheduling shapes how our students access opportunities, build momentum, and stay on track,” Stano said, “I’m excited to have the opportunity to help align our systems and processes in ways that reduce internal friction, support thoughtful planning, and enable us to be even more intentional in how we serve students.”
Dr. Karina Hernandez, Dean of Digital Learning
Hernandez assumes leadership of Digital Learning after serving as associate dean of Digital Fluency and Innovation and assistant dean within Computer Science and Information Technology. A former IBM verification engineer with more than 20 years of experience spanning technology and higher education, Hernandez brings a unique blend of industry expertise, systems thinking, and academic leadership to the role.
As dean, Hernandez leads efforts to strengthen and scale ACC’s digital learning infrastructure through a shared-services model that supports quality, consistency, accessibility, and compliance across online and distance learning programs. Her work includes improving operational frameworks, clarifying decision-making processes, and ensuring alignment with accreditation and accessibility standards.
In previous roles, Hernandez led the development of workforce-aligned microcredentials, AI-focused learning pathways, and digital fluency initiatives that have expanded opportunities for learners while supporting faculty innovation and student success. She also co-chaired the faculty team that developed ACC’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Software Development.
“As the Division of Digital Learning continues to evolve, I look forward to working collaboratively across the College to strengthen student-centered services, remove barriers to learning, and create scalable solutions that support both academic excellence and workforce success,” Hernandez said, “Together, we have an incredible opportunity to reimagine how learning happens and ensure ACC remains responsive to the needs of today’s learners and tomorrow’s workforce.”
Looking Ahead
Together, these leadership appointments represent an important step in Academic Affairs’ ongoing efforts to strengthen institutional effectiveness, improve student access and outcomes, and build systems that are more coordinated, data-informed, and responsive to the needs of the ACC community. By aligning strategy, scheduling, curriculum, and digital learning efforts, Academic Affairs continues to create the conditions necessary for students, faculty, and staff to thrive in a rapidly changing higher education environment.
For more information on how Academic Affairs is becoming future-ready, visit this web page.