2009 NISOD International Leadership Award Recipients

GERARDO E. DE LOS SANTOS is President and CEO of the League for Innovation in the Community College, an international organization dedicated to catalyzing the community college movement. The League hosts conferences and institutes, develops Web resources, conducts research, produces publications, provides services, and leads projects and initiatives with more than 800 member institutions representing 15 different countries, over 160 corporate partners, and a host of other governmental and non-profit agencies. In its continuing effort to make a positive difference for students and communities, the League is dedicated to improving student and organizational learning through innovation, experimentation, and institutional transformation.

Gerardo began his own education at Mesa Community College in Arizona where he earned an A.A. degree, and subsequently transferred to the University of California at Berkeley where he earned a B.A. in Rhetoric. He earned his Masters in English from Arizona State University, where he was honored as a Graduate Regents Fellow. Gerardo received his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was named Distinguished Graduate.

KAY MCCLENNEY is Director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement and Sid W. Richardson Endowed Fellow in the Community College Leadership Program (CCLP) at The University of Texas at Austin. Also within the CCLP, she is senior consultant to the UT work on the Lumina Foundation’s Achieving the Dream initiative, part of the leadership team for the Ford Foundation’s national Community College Bridges to Opportunity Initiative and director of the MetLife Foundation’s national student retention project. She previously served for 10 years as Vice President and chief operating officer at the Education Commission of the States.

Dr. McClenney has served as a consultant to education institutions, state higher education systems, state government, and professional associations in 47 states and internationally. In addition, she served for nine years as a community college educator, during which she was a faculty member, system administrator, and interim CEO.

A frequent keynote speaker, Dr. McClenney has also authored numerous publications on education issues, strategic planning, accountability, and assessment. She earned her Ph.D. in educational administration from the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin, and she has been named a Distinguished Graduate of that program. Her previous degrees include a B.A. from Trinity University and an M.A. in Psychology from Texas Christian University.

Kay served as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the Executive Board of the American Association of Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC). She received the 2002 PBS O’Banion Prize for contributions to teaching and learning in America.