Suzanne Harbin, vice president of Advancement and Innovation at Wallace State Community College, is one of 40 leaders selected for the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program’s 2024-25 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship. 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.

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 10 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.

“Wallace State is proud to have Suzanne Harbin represent the college in the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship,” Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics said in a press release. “She has proven to be a strong leader in her years heading the Wallace State Future Foundation and as Vice President for Advancement and Innovation, so we know she will do well in this endeavor and use what she learns to help the college as it grows in the future.”