Community College President Speaker Series

Hear from our Northeastern EdD Alumni
 

Jenni Martin, EdD, President, Spokane Community College 

Jenni Martin, EdD, was selected to be the acting president at Spokane Community College on May 1, 2023. Previously, she worked as the vice president of instruction. She has worked at the Community Colleges of Spokane (CCS) in various capacities, including dean of extended learning, assistant dean of adult basic education, WorkFirst manager, and adjunct faculty. Prior to working at CCS, she was employed at Eastern Washington University (EWU) as the head women’s soccer coach and also served as faculty at EWU. She has a Doctor of Education degree from Northeastern University, a Master of Education in Adult Education from EWU and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Gonzaga University.
 

March 20, 7:00–8:00 p.m. EDT

Theresa B. Felder, EdD, President Harford Community College 

Theresa B. Felder serves as the 10th president of Harford Community College. Her focus is on providing access to higher education for all students. She is especially passionate about increasing the number of college graduates from first-generation and low-income backgrounds, which was addressed in her doctoral dissertation.

Since her time as president at Harford Community College, Felder has made an impact in the community. She has been honored by The Baltimore Sun as one of the 25 Women to Watch: Best in Advocacy, Business and Health. She was recognized with the 2023 Paragon Award for New Presidents by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record.

Felder is active in the community and serves on various nonprofit boards, including the Harford County Chamber of Commerce, Harford County Economic Development Advisory Board, Susquehanna Workforce Network, Northeastern Maryland Technology Council, Greater Baltimore President’s Advisory Committee, University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health, Harford Business Roundtable for Education, and Harford Leadership Academy.
 

Ellen Kennedy, EdD, President, Berkshire Community College 

In 2012, Ellen Kennedy was named the seventh president of Berkshire Community College (BCC), the first community college in Massachusetts. Under Kennedy's leadership, BCC completed a $34 million renovation of its main classroom buildings, walkways, and roadways; installed the Gene Dellea Community Turf Field while addressing environmental issues; secured funding and oversaw the construction of a One Stop Enrollment Center; developed and implemented a five-year strategic plan; and garnered nearly $21 million in grant funding, including $1.9 million through the Title III Strengthening Institutions Program and renewals of TRIO grants from the U.S. Department of Education.

The college was recently selected by Achieving the Dream as one of seven community colleges in the nation for a Building Resiliency in Rural Communities for the Future of Work grant.