Community college trustees are becoming more racially diverse and increasingly female, but face significant challenges related to enrollment declines and funding constraints, according to a new study released by the Association of Community College Trustees and the Center for the Study of Community Colleges.
Dr. Carrie B. Kisker
Women now comprise 47% of community college trustees, up from 33% in 1997, approaching parity with the general U.S. adult population. The percentage of trustees who are people of color more than doubled during the same period, reaching 27% in 2025, though white trustees remain the majority at 73%.
"This landmark study demonstrates the vital role trustees play in shaping the future of community colleges," said David Conner, ACCT associate vice president for strategic communications. "It shows that board members are engaged, invested, and dedicated to their fiduciary responsibilities and student success."
However, the study also found that trustees are aging. The average trustee is now 65 years old, compared to 58 in 1997, with the most common age being 70. Multiple trustees interviewed for the study acknowledged the need for succession planning given the aging board population.
Nearly two in five trustees were first-generation college students, and 64% attended a community college themselves—figures that have risen since 1997. Among trustees who attended community colleges, 83% hold bachelor's or higher degrees, and 71% earn at least $100,000 annually, demonstrating the institutions' role as economic mobility engines.
"Community college trustees have a pulse on their communities' needs, a deep commitment to the community college mission of open access to high-quality higher education for all people, and the kind of visionary thinking needed to keep their institutions thriving," said ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee.
