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Phoenix, Arizona 85013
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Four Phoenix College Employees Selected to Participate in National Institute for Leadership Development Program

by: Christy Skeen

Four Phoenix College employees have been chosen to participate in the National Institute for Leadership Development, LEADERS program, an international program for administrators and faculty in higher education.

Debra Dorr, Department Chair of Industrial Technology and faculty of Architectural Drafting and Computer Aided Design; Ann Roselle, Library Director; Christy Skeen, Communications Coordinator; and Rebecca Valenzuela, Director of Recruitment and Retention will participate in this year’s program, which kicks off with a national conference in Scottsdale, Arizona beginning March 23.

Debra Dorr, Department Chair of Industrial Technology and faculty of Architectural Drafting and Computer Aided Design
As a committed community volunteer, Dorr devotes her time to Habitat for Humanity and the United Blood Services. She is a member of the Phoenix College Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a Liturgy Minister at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mesa. Dorr also serves on the college’s Master Planning and Strategic Planning Councils.

Ann Roselle, Library Director
Roselle’s work has been published in a number of national outlets including Journal of Government Information, Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, Government Information Quarterly and Library Review. She is also a member of the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries and ALA Government Documents Round Table.

Christy Skeen, Communications Coordinator
Skeen, a member of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations, received the 2002 National Paragon gold award and the 2002 Regional Silver Medallion of Achievement Award for her media success stories. She is also a member of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges and is a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma East Valley Alumni Association.

Rebecca Valenzuela, Director of Recruitment and Retention
Valenzuela is the founder and co-chair of the SOAR Council, a district wide council that was founded to promote the MCCD and its colleges while facilitating collaboration on student outreach, orientation and recruitment efforts. She is also a participant in the Orientation Professional Institute and a member of the National Orientation Directors Association.

This year-long program, designed to enhance the skills participants need to assume major decision making roles in their institutions, includes international practice in supervisory and human relations skills, planning and budgeting and organizational transformation. The program will also allow for discussions with national experts on the issues confronting higher education during the next decade.

During this program, these participants will choose a mentor to work on projects that will aid the institution and foster individual professional growth. This year’s mentors include: Dr. Selma Wilf, faculty emeritus of the Phoenix College Reading Department (Debra Dorr), Judy Boschult, Phoenix College English faculty (Ann Roselle), Dr. Linda Thor, President of Rio Salado College (Christy Skeen) and Dr. Kay Martens, Dean of Student Services at South Mountain Community College (Rebecca Valenzuela).

LEADERS participants are chosen for their professional abilities, their interests in advancement in higher education, and the quality of their proposed projects.

The National Institute for Leadership Development is internationally recognized by colleges, universities and businesses for its visionary, holistic programs that produce leaders who effectively challenge assumptions, eliminate barriers and create new pathways to successful solutions.

For more information, please call the National Institute for Leadership Development at (602) 285-7727.