Clark State College President Jo Ann Blondin recently received the Mildred Bulpitt Woman of the Year Award from the American Association for Women in Community Colleges. The honor recognizes outstanding leadership and mentorship dedicated to advancing opportunities for women in community colleges.
Dr. Blondin became the fifth president of Clark State College in Springfield, Ohio, in July 2013. Over the course of her presidency, Dr. Blondin has significantly expanded academic programming, increased grant funding, and established support systems for military members and their families. She is known for developing the Serving Our Own Through Advancement and Retention (SOAR) initiative, through which she has mentored dozens of emerging education leaders.
Before her tenure at Clark State, Dr. Blondin was chancellor of Arkansas Tech University-Ozark. She has also taught English at Arkansa Tech University, the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and Arizona State University.
Dr. Blondin is a graduate of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where she majored in English with a minor in Spanish. She holds a master’s degree and doctorate in eighteenth-century British literature from Arizona State University.
At the conclusion of this academic year, Dr. Blondin is slated to retire after 33 years in higher education and 13 years at the helm of Clark State College.