DEARBORN — Henry Ford College alumna and former vice president Lisa Jones – will become the next president of Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangely, Co., July 15. Jones will be the first African-American woman to assume the presidency at CNCC and in the Colorado Community College System as a whole.
Jones will succeed CNCC President Ron Granger, who is retiring. She was selected after a six-month nationwide search that was led by an 11-member advisory search committee. This committee screened, interviewed, and conducted virtual community forums from a pool of more than 60 applicants with diverse backgrounds.
“With more than 80 years of rich history, CNCC is a jewel in Colorado’s northwestern region,” Jones said. “It will play an enormous role as the community prepares for its next chapter.
“Through collective work, shared vision, and perseverance, we will create new opportunities and overcome obstacles facing the region and the college.”
Jones has led many academic, equity and innovation programs in various roles in higher education throughout a career that spans more than 30 years. Prior to accepting the presidency of CNCC, Jones’ most recent role was vice president of Student Development at the Dallas College Cedar Valley Campus in Lancaster, Texas.
From 2007 to 2017, Jones served as vice president of Student Affairs at HFC.
“Dr. Jones is a strong student advocate, working to implement programming that provided support for many students, including the Hawks’ Nest, HFC’s food pantry,” said Holly Diamond, HFC interim vice president of Student Affairs. “Many students experiencing food insecurity have tremendously benefitted from this program.”
Other positions Jones has held include vice president, associate provost and dean of students at Marygrove College in Detroit, and director of Student Life at the University of Detroit Mercy.
For Jones, the role and value of community colleges – especially those in rural and under-resourced locations – means providing supportive and empowering pathways for students to achieve social mobility and to set the path for future generations.
“As a first-generation, low-income, minority woman who came from an underperforming high school in Detroit, the odds were stacked against me, but through (HFC), I was able to rewrite my story and achieve my American Dream,” Jones said. “Community colleges play a pivotal role in transforming lives and communities, and I am excited to become a part of this important work at CNCC.”
Jones graduated from Thomas M. Cooley High School in Detroit. Upon graduation, she attended HFC (then Henry Ford Community College). Transferring to Michigan State University, Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and her master’s degree in higher education administration.
During her time at MSU, Jones was president of the Black Students Association, a graduate student representative of the President’s Council to Review Undergraduate Education, and a graduate student representative to the 1988 Rose Bowl.
Jones earned her doctorate in counseling from Marquette University in Milwaukee. She is also a graduate of the Management Development Program at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Mass.
CCCS Chancellor Joe Garcia is looking forward to Jones joining CNCC this summer.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Jones and are confident she will step into the CNCC presidency with the experience and strength needed to lead the college as it continues to address challenges and embrace opportunities in a rapidly-changing environment,” Garcia said. “At such a critical time in the college’s history, she brings both energy and an entrepreneurial mindset.”