The Colorado Community College System has announced the selection of Lisa Jones as the next president of Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangely. When Dr. Jones assumes the presidency on July 15, 2021, she will become the first African-American woman to hold the presidency of the college and in the entire Colorado Community College System.
Colorado Northwestern Community College enrolls about 1,110 students according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 58 percent of the student body.
“As a first-generation, low-income, minority woman who came from an underperforming high school in Detroit, the odds were heavily stacked against me, but through my community college I was able to rewrite my story and achieve my American Dream,” said Dr. Jones. “These institutions play a pivotal role in transforming lives and communities, and I am excited to become a part of this important work at Colorado Northwestern Community College.”
In her most recent role, Dr. Jones served as vice president of student development at the Cedar Valley campus of Dallas College, a Hispanic-serving and predominately Black institution in Lancaster, Texas. Earlier, Dr. Jones served as vice president of student affairs at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan.
Dr. Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in higher education from Michigan State University. She earned a Ph.D. in counseling from Marquette University in Milwaukee.