Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) has named Dr. Daria Willis, president of Everett Community College in Washington, to its Presidential Advisory Board.
She joins 43 other college presidents from across the nation on the board and will provide input into the organization’s strategic plan, priorities, and direction. Advisory Board members advocate for Phi Theta Kappa, its members, and its mission; serve as liaisons between PTK headquarters and the college leaders in their states; and advise the Society’s President and CEO and other senior leaders.
Phi Theta Kappa goes beyond recognition to serve as a pathway to student success and completion by providing scholarships and opportunities to its members for individual growth and development — work that would not be possible without the support of college presidents like Willis. The Presidential Advisory Board was established in 2015.
Willis was named president of Everett Community College in 2019, becoming its first African-American president. She previously served as Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at Onondaga Community College in New York, where she implemented programs aimed at increasing enrollment and providing access and equity to underserved populations.
A first-generation college student, Willis began her career in 2007 at Florida A&M University before moving to Tallahassee Community College. In 2010, she moved to Lone Star College in Texas, where she implemented the first Doctoral Support Group for faculty and staff. She then served as Dean of Academic Studies at Lee College, a Hispanic-serving institution in Texas.
Willis holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida A&M University and a Ph.D. from Florida State University. She received the American Association for Women in Community Colleges’ “40 Under 40” award in 2018 and was a 2017 Cohort Fellow for the League for Innovation’s Executive Leadership Institute. She was also a 2017 Cohort Fellow for the Thomas Lakin Institute for Mentored Leadership, an organization dedicated to training African-American community college administrators to hold presidency positions.
