2024 Regional Director Candidates

Highland Community College, IL

As a product of a Community College, and as a parent of two Community College graduates and a Student Trustee, I have benefited greatly from the system. Now it’s time to give back, preserve, and improve the Community College experience.

I served 14 years on the local City Council, plus the boards of Big Brothers/ Sisters, Northern Illinois Economic Development, 6 years as Chair/CFO of Immanuel Church and School, and 8 years as their Athletic Director. 

Since 2019, I have been a part of ACCT, and have attended every Summit and Congress. I served one term on the Member Communications and Education Committee, two terms on the Finance and Audit Committee, and served as Teller for last year’s elections. 

I believe service to our students and staff is paramount. Suicide prevention, DEI, mental health, access for disabled students, technology training, and access in rural areas are just as important as curriculum, and must be a part of all that we do for the Community College system.

Mohawk Valley Community College, NY

Anthony “Tony” Colón has been a dedicated member of the MVCC – NY Board since 2008, presently in his third successive seven-year term. Holding the role of Northeast Regional Director on the ACCT Board, his term is scheduled to conclude in 2024. Tony actively participates in the Board’s Finance and Audit Committee. He is also an engaged member of the ACCT Latino Caucus. 

In a recent capacity, he served as the Chair of the ACCT DEI Committee and currently contributes to the ACCT’s Ad Hoc 3-member panel, involved in shaping new language for the organization’s DEI Strategic Initiative. Since 2016, Tony has taken on the responsibility of NY State Coordinator, demonstrating his commitment to coordinating and advancing initiatives within the state. 

Tony is actively involved with the NY State Community College Trustee Association. His notable contributions have been acknowledged through the receipt of the Distinguished Trustee Service Award from the association. 

Following a decade of service as the Latin American Sales Director for a California-based organization, Tony returned to New York to establish multiple businesses. Over the past nearly 25 years, he has utilized his skills as a certified legal Spanish Interpreter for both Federal and NYS Courts. Concurrently, he has served as a Behavioral Manager, addressing the emotional and mental health needs of the youth in his community.

Bellevue College, WA

Rich Fukutaki currently serves as chair-elect of ACCT and chairs the Public Policy and Advocacy Committee. He is the chair of the Bellevue College Board of Trustees and led the searches for both the interim president and president. Rich consistently demonstrates a keen sense of creative problem-solving and a proactive desire to listen and collaborate across regional and organizational stakeholder groups. He enjoys addressing complex issues to discover what is possible versus being tethered to what has been done in the past. Smarterville, Kinetic City (AAAS), and Franchise Basketball are examples of innovative programs Rich helped introduce to encourage STEM education in underrepresented groups. His role in identifying and introducing Pokemon to the U.S. market also demonstrated strategic foresight. Rich Fukutaki serves in several capacities for the Washington State Association of College Trustees on the Finance, Awards (chair), DEI (co-chair), Audit, Education and Visioning Committees.

Cleveland Community College, NC

Having lived in this community since the early 1970’s, I have had the opportunity to serve it in many ways. I am committed to making Cleveland County a better place for its residents, with a concentration on its students. 

Since August of 1987, I have been a member of the Shelby Rotary Club. In these years, I have served as President, District Governor, and currently Secretary. Each year our club supplies dictionaries to local elementary schools, and we provide back packs of food each week to children in need. We also raise funds, by various means, to help eradicate Polio around the world. 

Community is important to me. I have served as Chairman of the Board for the Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce, and am currently Chairman of Shelby, North Carolina’s Parks and Recreation Board, including Chairman of the annual Merry-Go-Round Festival. 

Being the longest serving member of the Cleveland Community College’s Board of Trustees has given me the opportunity to be involved in structuring the high quality of education its students receive and thus ensure the college provides the community with skilled and productive members of society. 

Being a member of ACCT now gives me the chance to serve a broader community.

Houston Community College System, TX

I am committed to ACCT’s mission and goals for community and technical colleges. I serve as Director-at-Large, Secretary-Treasurer, on Governance-Bylaws and Audit-Finance committees. My state commitment includes CCATT – Commission on Community College Finance. Locally I served as HCC Vice Chair and held Committee Chair positions. 

I work with communities to promote and engage constituents. Engagements include Policy (HB3554 “No Trafficking Zone”); COVID-19 (masks distribution, Food lines, Concerts, Children’s Museum passes, Hot Spots, Chrome Books); Seniors (AARP, Young at Heart, tuition free education, scholarships); Life Achievement Awards (Teachers, Volunteers, Guiding Star); TPT CDC (Volunteer Houston, United Way, AFL-CIO, NAACP, LULAC, Job Fairs); Health (Men’s Forum, Community Health/Wellness); Education (Medgar Evers A-TEAAM, Early College/Dual Credit); and STEM (Robotics, AI, IT, Coding, Solar). I now focus on ABCs – Athletes Bound for Colleges, Adults Bound for Careers, and Academics Benefiting Communities. 

I respectfully and humbly ask for your support.