Seminole State College President Lana Reynolds has been selected to serve on the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Commission on Small and Rural Colleges.  The Commission, composed of Presidents of 13 Community Colleges from across the nation, recently convened for an inaugural two-day meeting in November in Washington, D.C.

The Commissioners heard presentations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the state of rural America and discussed trends and issues impacting small and rural colleges.

The Commission is chaired by Joseph Schaffer, President of Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Co-Chair of the Commission is Brent Knight, President of Lansing Community College, Lansing, Michigan.

Others joining Reynolds on the Commission are the Presidents of Eastern New Mexico University; Northeast Community College in Nebraska; Glen Oaks Community College in Michigan.; Halifax Community College in North Carolina; Miles Community College in Montana; Dawson Community College in Montana; Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Virginia; Clarendon College in Texas; Tillamook Bay Community College in Oregon and Mountain Empire Community College in Virginia.

The AACC is the primary advocacy organization for the nation’s community colleges. The association represents nearly 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and more than 12 million students.

Reynolds, who has served in various roles at Seminole State College over the past 30 years, began her tenure as President of the institution in July, 2017.  She is active in local and state organizations – currently serving on the Executive Committees of Leadership Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Academy of State Goals.  She was named as a Trustee for her undergraduate alma mater Oklahoma Christian University in the spring of 2018.  She is also a member of the Board of Advocates for the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital.

Locally, she is a member of the Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum Board of Trustees, the Seminole Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Seminole Rotary Club.  She serves as Chair of the Seminole Tourism Council.

In 1991, she was selected as Seminole’s “Citizen of the Year” and in 2008, the OCPRA named her “Communicator of the Year.” She was also named as one of the Journal Record’s “50 Women Making a Difference” in the state of Oklahoma in 2000, 2012 and 2013 – bringing her into the “Circle of Excellence” for her three-time selection.  In November of 2017, she received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Oklahoma Christian University