Greenfield Community College's President, Dr. Yves Salomon-Fernández, was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education (ACE), the major coordinating body for the nation's colleges and universities. The election took place during a webinar with ACE members.

President Salomon-Fernández began her tenure as GCC's tenth president in August of 2018. Named one of the Top 25 Women in Higher Education by Diverse Issues in Higher Education, she is the first woman of color to lead the college and the first female president in almost thirty years.  A researcher, educator, and data analyst, Dr. Salomon-Fernandez has distinguished herself as a visionary, innovator, and entrepreneurial executive committed to access and equity.  She is a member of Welcoming and Belonging Franklin County, a branch of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments' Racial Justice Work, and serves on Job for the Future's Policy Leadership Trust. During her tenure, GCC has made strides in better supporting marginalized students— including women, students of color and the LGBTQ community— recognizing their unique experiences and pairing them with the resources to succeed in their education.

"ACE is an organization for which I have a deep respect and appreciation," says Dr. Salomon-Fernández. "I have had the honor of being mentored by some wonderful women from ACE. I look forward to serving higher education and to representing rural, first-generation adult learners and two-year institutions. The ACE board is a group of forward-thinking leaders and I am honored and humbled to be joining them."

Dr. Salomon-Fernández is one of eight new members elected to the ACE board this month, including: Roslyn Clark Artis, president, Benedict College (South Carolina); Sylvia M. Burwell, president, American University (Washington, D.C.); James B. Milliken, chancellor, The University of Texas System; Thúy Thị Nguyễn, president, Foothill College (California); Bill Pink, president, Grand Rapids Community College (Michigan); Eckerd College President Damián J. Fernández, Ph.D. (Florida); Leocadia I. Zak, president, Agnes Scott College (Georgia).

A membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice, ACE's strength lies in its diverse membership of more than 1,700 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in America and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions: two-year and four-year, public and private.

#  # #