Dr. Jeremy Brown of Yuba College Selected for the
Aspen Institute’s Rising Presidents Fellowship
With Wave of Experienced Community College Presidents Retiring, New Aspen Fellow
Commits to Learning the Practices of Transformational Leaders
CONTACT: Anabel Toche, atoche@yccd.edu & Kristin O’Keefe, kristin.okeefe@aspeninstitute.org, (240-351-8531)
Marysville, CA April 17, 2024 – The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) announced today that Dr. Jeremy Brown, vice president for instruction at Yuba College, is one of 39 leaders selected for the 2024-25 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship. Applying lessons from over a dozen years researching exceptional community colleges, the Aspen fellowship aims to select and prepare the next generation of presidents who can lead institutions to higher and more equitable levels of student success.
“I applied to the Aspen Rising President’s Fellowship Program because I am passionate about the mission and purpose of community colleges to ensure equitable access, retention, completion, and transfer or career outcomes for the students and communities we serve,” said Dr. Brown. “I am committed to growing in my capacity and ability to lead in this work and I believe this program will help”
Many sitting community college presidents plan to retire in the next decade, creating an opportunity for college trustees and system heads to select leaders who have the skills and knowledge to achieve better outcomes for students. Aspen Presidential Fellows represent the next generation of college leadership: this incoming class of Aspen Rising Presidents Fellows is 58 percent women, and 55 percent are people of color. The institutions they represent are also diverse, located in 20 states, from small rural colleges to large urban campuses. The fellows, selected through a competitive process, will work closely with highly accomplished community college presidents and thought leaders over ten months to learn from field-leading research, examine demographic and labor market conditions in their communities, assess student outcomes at their colleges, and advance a clear vision for excellent and equitable outcomes for students while in college and after they graduate.
“The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship selects some of the best leaders throughout the nation to uniquely prepare them for a presidency. Jeremy’s experience and skills stood out in the process, and we are proud he was selected for this competitive and meaningful professional development opportunity,” said Dr. Tawny Dotson, president of Yuba College.
Rising Presidents Fellows aspire to enter a college presidency within five years of completing the fellowship. As fellows, they join a network of over 350 forward-thinking peers—175 of whom are sitting college presidents—who are applying concrete, grounded, and innovative strategies to meet student success challenges in their colleges.
“With so many community college presidents taking or nearing retirement, Aspen has a heightened sense of urgency to develop new leaders who are committed to systemic change,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. “Community colleges have a unique opportunity to advance the talent communities need and enable the economic mobility that draws so many students to higher education. I am confident that these fellows can realize that promise—and in turn advance the entire field—by taking the lessons from the highest performing colleges and preparing to bring those lessons to their first presidencies.”
The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship is made possible by the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Burton Family Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the College Futures Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and JPMorgan Chase.
For bios and photos of all 39 leaders, visit highered.aspeninstitute.org/meet-the-rising-presidents-fellows.
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Yuba College is committed to providing equitable student learning and success. We offer
degree and certificate programs leading to career and transfer opportunities for our
diverse communities. It is our vision to provide innovative and student-centered
educational opportunities and services that are equitable and that empower students to
become transformative and productive members of our communities
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program supports colleges and universities in their quest to achieve a higher standard of excellence, delivering credentials that unlock life-changing careers and strengthen our economy, society, and democracy. We know it takes visionary college leaders to achieve this higher standard and we make it our mission to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and research-backed tools to inspire change, shift practice, and advance the capacity of colleges to deliver excellent and equitable student outcomes. For more information, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.