Sandra L. Kurtinitis, president of the Community College of Baltimore County, has been elected to the American Association of Community Colleges 32-member national Board of Directors. She will serve a three-year term which began July 1, 2015.

AACC, which was founded in 1920, has become the leading proponent and the national "voice for community colleges.”

Today, the association represents nearly 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and more than 13 million students, as well as a growing number of international members in Puerto Rico, Japan, Great Britain, Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. The colleges are the largest and fastest-growing sector of U.S. higher education, enrolling close to half (45 percent) of all U.S. undergraduates.

“I have been a member of AACC since my early days as an English professor at Prince George’s Community College. Now in my 48th year of service as a community college professional, I am delighted to serve on a national board that addresses the “big issues” in higher education, such as America’s College Promise and our sector’s workforce development,” notes Kurtinitis.

As Board Member, Kurtinitis will serve as AACC liaison to the National Council of Continuing Education and Training (NCCET) and on the AACC’s President’s Advisory Committee on Legislative Affairs. Serving on this committee has garnered her four visits to the White House with other community college representatives in order to provide input on key legislation relevant to the nation’s community colleges.