Turning Points: Designing Colleges That Say “Yes” to Students
In Episode 40 of Discovering Your Mission with Dr. Mordecai, Dr. Mordecai sits down with Dr. Linda Garcia, Executive Director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement.
Together, Dr. Mordecai and Dr. Garcia explore what students are truly asking of today’s community colleges. Their conversation examines the importance of connection, the power of student voice, and why institutions must move beyond caring for students in theory and begin demonstrating that care through intentional design.
The conversation also challenges colleges to stop expecting students to navigate complicated systems on their own. Dr. Garcia explains that students do not experience institutions through organizational charts or strategic plans. They experience registration, advising, financial aid, classrooms, websites, policies, and whether someone notices when they are no longer present.
Dr. Garcia also shares how mentors, family sacrifice, and unexpected opportunities created defining turning points in her own journey. She discusses what she calls “intrusive mentoring,” the importance of viewing student data as a gift, and why community colleges must continue to be places that say “yes” to students and expand what they believe is possible.
Watch the full 40th episode of Discovering Your Mission with Dr. Mordecai featuring Dr. Linda Garcia and discover how community colleges can create stronger connections, redesign the student experience, challenge institutional assumptions, and help more students move from the start line to the finish line.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/2XLU_Gvq_CE
Why Community College Philanthropy Is Changing
In the latest episode of Discovering Your Mission with Dr. Mordecai, Dr. Mordecai sits down with Meg Natter, Director of Community Colleges and Foundations at CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Together, Dr. Mordecai and Meg explore why community colleges are increasingly attracting the attention of major donors, corporations, and foundations. They also discuss the evolving role of the college president, the importance of strong partnerships between presidents and advancement leaders, and why successful foundations must do more than raise money.
The conversation also challenges institutions to move beyond transactional fundraising. Meg explains that today’s donors are seeking meaningful relationships, measurable impact, and opportunities to invest in solutions that expand economic mobility, strengthen the workforce, and remove barriers to student success.
Watch the full episode of Discovering Your Mission with Dr. Mordecai featuring Meg Natter and discover why the future of community college philanthropy will be built through relationships, strategy, institutional leadership, and a shared commitment to changing lives.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/-ObzDpHrWac
The Future of Higher Education Is Human: A Conversation with Dr. Michael Torrance
In the latest episode of Discovering Your Mission with Dr. Mordecai, Dr. Mordecai sits down with Dr. Michael Torrance, President of Motlow State Community College, U.S. Air Force veteran, author, and nationally recognized voice on AI and workforce innovation.
Together, they explore how community colleges are uniquely positioned to prepare students for an evolving economy while keeping people at the center of innovation. One of the most memorable moments comes when Dr. Torrance states: "The students don't need to be prepared for the institution. The institution better be prepared for the students that are coming."
The conversation examines how artificial intelligence can strengthen teaching and learning, support workforce development, empower rural communities, and help institutions better serve today's learners. Dr. Torrance also challenges higher education leaders to redefine success by measuring community impact, economic mobility, and workforce readiness instead of simply enrollment and completion.
Watch the full episode of Discovering Your Mission with Dr. Mordecai featuring Dr. Michael Torrance and discover why the future of higher education is, above all, human.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/oAn0iWoxaPc
🎙️ NEW EPISODE | Discovering Your Mission with Dr. Mordecai Featuring Dr. CharMaine Hines
What are the hidden costs of leadership?
In the latest episode of Discovering Your Mission, Dr. Mordecai sits down with Dr. CharMaine Hines, Vice Chancellor of Academic Accountability and Policy and author of Voices of Women of Color Community College CEOs, for a powerful conversation about leadership, resilience, representation, and purpose.
Throughout the discussion, Dr. Hines shares insights from her research and personal journey, offering a candid look at the realities many leaders navigate behind the scenes. From the "hidden curriculum" of executive leadership to the emotional weight of representation, this conversation challenges listeners to think more deeply about what leadership truly requires.
One of the most powerful moments comes when Dr. Hines discusses the pressure some leaders feel knowing that their success or failure may influence opportunities for those who follow them.
💭 "My vision is that ten years from now this book reads as a historical account of what we overcame rather than a recurring warning."
This episode is a reminder that leadership is not simply about position or authority. It is about courage, service, purpose, and creating pathways for others to succeed.
📺 Watch the full episode above or here.
Special thanks to The EDU Ledger for its continued sponsorship of Discovering Your Mission and its commitment to elevating meaningful conversations that inspire leaders and strengthen higher education.
Education Must Lead to Opportunity
For decades, colleges and universities have measured success through enrollment, retention, and completion. While these metrics remain important, a growing national conversation is challenging higher education leaders to consider a deeper question:
What happens after graduation?
For many learners, education is not simply about earning a credential. It is about creating a pathway to economic mobility, family stability, and a better future.
In a recent episode of Discovering Your Mission, Dr. Mordecai Brownlee sat down with Jee Hang Lee, President and CEO of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), to discuss the evolving role of community colleges in advancing workforce development and economic opportunity.
During the conversation, Lee emphasized the importance of ensuring that educational pathways remain closely aligned with workforce needs and lead to careers that provide family-sustaining wages. As the nation enters the Workforce Pell era and policymakers increasingly focus on employment and earnings outcomes, community colleges find themselves at the center of one of the most consequential discussions in higher education.
The conversation serves as an important reminder that access alone is not enough. Institutions must also be committed to helping learners achieve meaningful outcomes that improve their quality of life and strengthen their communities.
Brownlee has long argued that community colleges represent some of the most powerful engines of economic mobility in America. Through workforce-aligned education, employer partnerships, apprenticeships, and innovative credential pathways, colleges have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to help learners translate education into opportunity.
The featured clip from this episode offers a timely perspective on the future of higher education and the critical role institutions play in preparing learners not only for graduation, but for long-term success.
View the full episode here.
Discovering Your Mission is sponsored by The EDU Ledger and features conversations with national leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are helping shape the future of education, workforce development, leadership, and economic opportunity.*
Stay tuned for a brand-new episode of premiering this Wednesday.
Dr. Mordecai Releases New Discovering Your Mission Episode Featuring ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee
A new episode of Discovering Your Mission with Dr. Mordecai is now available, featuring a timely and thought-provoking conversation with Jee Hang Lee, one of the nation’s leading voices in higher education governance and advocacy.
Sponsored by The EDU Ledger, the episode explores the rapidly changing landscape facing community colleges and higher education institutions across America. Together, Dr. Brownlee and Jee Hang Lee engage in an honest national conversation on leadership, governance, demographic shifts, workforce alignment, political uncertainty, and the growing pressure for institutions to demonstrate economic value and long term sustainability.
Throughout the discussion, Jee Hang Lee offers a unique national perspective shaped by years of federal policy, public advocacy, and work alongside governing boards and college presidents across the country.
The conversation highlights several critical themes impacting higher education today, including:
• The growing importance of workforce-aligned education and economic mobility outcomes
• Why demographic decline should already be shaping institutional strategy
• The increasing competition community colleges face across the higher education marketplace
• What separates high-performing governing boards from struggling ones
• The evolving expectations placed on modern college presidents
• The responsibility community colleges carry as both a point of access and opportunity for students nationwide
The episode serves as both a strategic reflection and a call to leadership for current and aspiring presidents, trustees, policymakers, and higher education professionals navigating one of the most consequential periods in the history of community colleges.
Discovering Your Mission with Dr. Mordecai continues to feature influential national leaders whose stories, insights, and experiences challenge audiences to lead with greater purpose, courage, and clarity.
🎧 Watch the full episode here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WutO7BjlSsY
Leadership Beyond Passion: A Conversation with Dr. Darryl Holloman
At a time when higher education is under increasing strain, one truth is becoming clear: leadership requires more than passion. It requires purpose.
In the latest episode of Discovering Your Mission, Dr. Mordecai Brownlee sits down with Dr. Darryl Holloman, Vice President for Student Affairs at Spelman College and Chair of NASPA, to explore the evolving realities of leadership in student affairs.
Their conversation highlights a growing challenge across the profession. Burnout, shifting student needs, and increasing institutional pressure. Yet, despite these realities, student affairs remains central to the mission of higher education.
A key theme emerges. The need to move from being viewed as problem solvers to becoming strategic thought partners in shaping institutional direction and student success.
At the core of Dr. Holloman’s perspective is a simple but powerful belief:
“Good work stands.”
For emerging leaders, the message is equally clear: run your own race. Leadership is not defined by speed, but by alignment with purpose and readiness for the right opportunity.
This conversation serves as both a reflection and a call to action. For leaders at every level to remain grounded, intentional, and committed to the work that transforms lives.
🎧 Watch the full episode of Discovering Your Mission:
https://youtu.be/v-xk87k3hY8
🎙️ New Podcast Clip: The Power of Timing Your Voice in Leadership
In a recent episode of Discovering Your Mission, Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee sits down with Dr. Donna J. Nicol, author, scholar, and associate dean at California State University, Long Beach, for a compelling conversation on leadership, influence, and the strategic use of one’s voice.
In this featured clip, Dr. Nicol reflects on a critical lesson from her leadership journey: understanding when to speak with force and when to build influence before doing so. Her insight highlights a reality many leaders encounter but few master. The effectiveness of a leader is not solely defined by their willingness to speak, but by their ability to discern the right moment to do so.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Nicol emphasizes that leadership is not about constant visibility or volume. Instead, it requires intentionality, awareness, and discipline. Knowing when to advocate, when to listen, and when to act strategically can determine whether a message creates temporary noise or lasting impact.
Dr. Brownlee’s interview continues to elevate conversations that matter in higher education and beyond, particularly those centered on purpose-driven leadership, equity, and institutional transformation. This exchange with Dr. Nicol offers a timely reflection for leaders navigating complex environments where influence must be exercised with both courage and precision.
🎧 Watch and Listen to the Full Episode
Black Woman on Board: Power, Access, and the Legacy of Claudia Hampton
https://bit.ly/47fPrRX
Women’s History Month Spotlight: Leadership, Strategy, and the Legacy of Dr. Claudia Hampton
In recognition of Women’s History Month, Dr. Mordecai Brownlee released a compelling new episode of Discovering Your Mission featuring Dr. Donna J. Nicol, author of Black Woman on Board.
Sponsored by The EDU Ledger, the conversation highlights the groundbreaking leadership of Dr. Claudia Hampton, the first Black woman appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees. Through Nicol’s research, Hampton’s story emerges as a powerful example of navigating influence, governance, and institutional change.
At the center of the discussion is the concept of “sly civility”—a strategic leadership approach rooted in building trust, understanding power, and advancing change with intention. Rather than relying solely on confrontation, Hampton demonstrated how timing, positioning, and relationships can be leveraged to expand opportunity for others.
This episode challenges leaders to consider a critical question:
When is it time to speak—and when is it time to build?
As Dr. Nicol notes, “Sly civility requires you to be civil with the people who have power in order for you to gain access to their institutions.”
Through this conversation, Dr. Mordecai continues to elevate leadership at the intersection of purpose, equity, and economic mobility.
🎧 Watch and listen to the full episode here.
The EDU Ledger Announces Sponsorship of Discovering Your Mission w/ Dr. Mordecai
The EDU Ledger has officially joined Discovering Your Mission w/ Dr. Mordecai as a sponsor and content partner, marking a new chapter for the nationally recognized leadership and workforce-focused podcast.
Hosted by Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee, president of the Community College of Aurora and a national voice on purpose-driven leadership and economic mobility, Discovering Your Mission features conversations with leaders who are shaping the future of education, workforce development, and community impact.
The first episode under this new partnership features Brook DeRenzis, CEO of the National Skills Coalition, in a wide-ranging discussion on the future of work, skills-based hiring, and the evolving role of higher education in an economy defined by rapid technological change.
Drawing on her national policy leadership and personal lived experience, DeRenzis outlines why skills—technical, digital, and durable—have become the foundation of economic mobility. The conversation also highlights the growing importance of community and technical colleges, the rise of working learners, and the urgent need to design education and workforce systems that support lifelong learning.
At the center of the discussion is a clear message: workforce training is not a “second-chance” system, but a first-choice investment in people, communities, and national prosperity.
Key themes from the episode include:
Skills as the foundation of economic mobility
Credentials that validate skills rather than create barriers
The central role of working learners in the future of higher education
Community and technical colleges as engines of workforce advancement
Continuous learning as an essential strategy in an AI-driven economy
The importance of equity and student voice in workforce policy
“Jobs that require skills training are the backbone of our economy,” DeRenzis shared during the conversation.
Dr. Brownlee emphasized the broader mission of higher education, noting that the future of opportunity will be built on systems designed to lift people, not leave them behind.
Through this new partnership, The EDU Ledger and Discovering Your Mission will continue to spotlight national leaders, emerging workforce trends, and the strategies shaping the next era of higher education and economic mobility.
Watch the full episode here.
Brand New Episode of Discovering Your Mission is Now Available!
NEW EPISODE — Discovering Your Mission 🎙️
Too many people confuse leadership with position.
Brian Haggerty reminds us that it’s really about integrity, preparation, and how you treat people when no one is watching.
In this conversation, Brian (author of How to Be a Successful Politician) shares lessons that are transferable far beyond politics—especially for presidents, executives, educators, and anyone responsible for people.
We talk about:
Why “success” is service, not status
The discipline of only promising what you can deliver
Preparation as the difference between leading and merely occupying a role
Communication: eye contact, presence, and the power of self-awareness
His CLASS Academy: Communications, Leadership, and Social Skills—skills every learner deserves
