Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) will recognize 25 college presidents with Paragon Award for New Presidents during PTK Catalyst 2025, the Society’s annual convention in Kansas City, Missouri, April 3-5, 2025.
To be eligible for this award, college presidents and CEOs are new in their role having served less than three years. Recipients are nominated by students on their campus and are only eligible to receive the award once.
The award recognizes college presidents who have shown support of student success initiatives leading to stronger pathways to completion, transfer, and employment. They have taken an active interest in supporting high-achieving students and developing student leaders on campus.
“These new college presidents have demonstrated, right from the start, that student success is at the heart of their leadership,” said Phi Theta Kappa President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner. “This award is especially meaningful because it comes directly from the students, reflecting their appreciation for leaders who prioritize their growth and achievement.”
Honorees were selected from among thousands of college administrators eligible to receive this award.
The 2025 recipients are:
| Tona Ambrose Lincoln Trail College Illinois | Dr. Brent Bates State Fair Community College Missouri |
| Dr. Stephen Benson Paris Junior College Texas | Dr. Kellie Butler Solano Community College California |
| Dr. James Carlson Northshore Technical Community College Louisiana | Erik Coyne Ivy Tech Community College- Bloomington Campus Indiana |
| Dr. Ryan Crider Metropolitan Community College- Longview Campus Missouri | Dr. Ellen Crowe Metropolitan Community College- Maple Woods Campus Missouri |
| Dr. Amber Donnelli Great Basin College Nevada | Dr. Patrick Englert Ivy Tech Community College- South Bend-Elkhart Campus Indiana |
| Dr. Gregory Feeney Bluegrass Community and Technical College Kentucky | Dr. Macario Hernandez Dallas College- Mountain View Campus Texas |
| Dr. Anne Howsare Boyens Marshalltown Community College Iowa | Dr. Pamela Lau Parkland College Illinois |
| Dr. Kathleen Linaker Riverland Community College Minnesota | Dr. Gregory Little Midlands Technical College South Carolina |
| Dr. Jena Marr Redlands Community College Oklahoma | Dr. Jeff McCord Northeast State Community College Tennessee |
| Dr. Thomas Mills Hill College Texas | Dr. Bryan Renfro John Wood Community College Illinois |
| Dr. Teresa Rich Yakima Valley College Washington | Dr. Carol Rothstein Jackson State Community College Tennessee |
| Dr. Jana Schwartz Paradise Valley Community College Arizona | Dr. Greg Tanner South Georgia State College Georgia |
| Dr. Wendi Tostenson Volunteer State Community College Tennessee |
About Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa is the first honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 4.4 million members and nearly 1,250 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 220,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at ptk.org.