Washington (Feb. 23, 2023)—The American Council on Education (ACE) announced that Dr. Nathan Carter, Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA’s) chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, has been named an ACE Fellow for academic year 2023-24. Following nomination by the senior administration of their institutions and a rigorous application process, 36 fellows were selected this year—click here for a full list.
Since its inception in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program has strengthened institutions in American higher education by identifying and preparing over 2,500 faculty, staff and administrators for senior positions in college and university leadership through its distinctive and intensive cohort-based mentorship model. Of the fellows who have participated to date, more than 80 percent have gone on after their fellowship to serve as chief executive officers, chief academic officers, other cabinet-level positions and deans.
“The ACE Fellows Program has a proven track record of developing agile leaders, and it fuels the expansion of a talented and diverse higher education leadership pipeline,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “ACE Fellows engage in unique learning experiences before returning to their home campuses armed with a fresh outlook and distinct skillset. I am excited to see all that this class accomplishes.”
Dr. Nathan Carter became NOVA’s first CDEIO in December 2020. In this role, he leads educational and professional development programs that have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the American Association of Community Colleges, the Association of Community College Trustees and the American Council on Education.
“I am honored to be nominated by President Kress and recognized as an ACE Fellow amongst so many talented leaders in higher education,” Carter said. “Immersing myself in other institutions and gathering shared knowledge to better serve our students equitably is an incredible opportunity. I look forward to building relationships in the year ahead.”
The ACE Fellows program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single year.
During the placement, fellows observe and work with the president and other senior officers at their host institutions, attend decision-making meetings and focus on issues of interest. Fellows also conduct projects of pressing concern for their home institutions and seek to implement their findings upon completion of the fellowship placement.
At the conclusion of the fellowship year, fellows return to their home institutions with new knowledge and skills that contribute to capacity-building efforts, along with a network of peers across the country and abroad.
Click here for more information. For media questions regarding NOVA, please contact Hoang Nguyen, associate director of external communications at hdnguyen@nvcc.edu. For questions regarding ACE, please contact Jack Nicholson, public affairs specialist at jnicholson@acenet.edu.
About ACE
ACE is a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice. As the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, ACE represents more than 1,700 college and university presidents and related associations. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation.