HACC President Elected to Board of National Community College Association

HARRISBURG, Pa. – HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s College, remains a leader in national education advocacy with the recent election of its president to the board of directors of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

John J. “Ski” Sygielski, Ed.D., MBA, HACC president and CEO, will serve a three-year term from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2023. He served as chairman of its Board in 2010-11.

Sygielski was appointed co-chair of the AACC’s Commission on Institutional Infrastructure and Transformation and will serve on the Board’s Program Initiatives and Workforce Training Committee, both from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021. He is the Board’s contact for Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of two-year colleges, and is a member of the AACC’s 21st-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges.

“I am honored and appreciate the opportunity to once again serve AACC-member institutions as a member of the board. I look forward to joining my dedicated colleagues in representing the nation’s community colleges and advocating on their behalf. I also look forward to engaging in discussions and activities to ensure we remain responsive to the ever-changing needs of those we serve and helping shape the future direction of community colleges,” said Sygielski.

AACC, which recently certified the results of a national election held in February, represents nearly 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and more than 12 million students.

Sygielski also is chair of the executive committee of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, which advocates for the state’s 14 community colleges.

Tom Richey, chair of the HACC Board of Trustees, said, “The Board of Trustees is very proud that Dr. Ski has been elected to the AACC Board of Directors. We are delighted that his peers recognize what the Board and HACC community have long recognized and appreciated about him -- his passionate and enthusiastic dedication to serving the education and training needs of our service region and beyond to ensure no one gets left behind.”

In July 2011, Sygielski became the seventh president of HACC, the state’s largest and first community college. His previous appointments include president of Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, and president of Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown, Virginia. He previously served as vice chancellor for workforce development and continuing education, Virginia Community College System.

He began his professional career as a teacher in a Chicago inner-city school followed by a stint as a corporate trainer for two Fortune 500 companies. He transitioned to a community college career at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where he began his community college administration and college teaching career. 

Sygielski serves on the boards of the Broad Street Market Alliance, Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce, Northeast PA Strategic Early Warning Network (SEWN) and Pennsylvania's Workforce Investment Board and is a member of the Rotary Club of Harrisburg. He served on Governor Wolf’s Advisory Committee for Workforce and Education and the Pennsylvania Tuition Account Program Committee.

The only member of his working-class family to graduate from college, Sygielski earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy, two master's degrees in business and a doctorate in education, as well as an honorary associate degree. 

Photo Caption: HACC President John J. “Ski” Sygielski has been elected to the AACC Board of Directors.

About HACC
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, is the first and largest of Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges. HACC offers approximately 100 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to approximately 19,000 students. Also, the College serves students at its Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York campuses; through virtual learning; and via workforce development and continuing education training. For more information on how HACC is uniquely YOURS, visit hacc.edu. Also, follow us on Twitter (@HACC_info), follow us on Instagram (@HACC_edu), like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HACC64) and use #HACCNews.