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Dr. Kiana Battle, vice president for Institutional Effectiveness at Moraine Valley Community College.
Dr. Kiana Battle, vice president for Institutional Effectiveness at Moraine Valley Community College, was selected as one of 40 outstanding leaders from across the country for the 2026-27 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship by The Aspen Institute (Aspen).
The 40 executive and senior community college leaders were chosen for their potential to enact major reforms that deliver strong results for students. The competitive pool included more than 125 applicants.
Over 15 years, Aspen’s research on high-performing community colleges consistently has shown that high and improving levels of student success are much more likely when an exceptional president is leading the community college. For that reason, Aspen has been working for a decade to help prepare a new generation of transformational community college leaders through the program.
Battle, who began at Moraine Valley as assistant dean of Career Programs before becoming dean in 2014, served as dean of Liberal Arts from 2022-23 prior to becoming vice president. She also has served as vice president for academic affairs at Kankakee Community College. She shared, “Being selected for the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship is both a privilege and an exciting opportunity for professional growth. I am eager to collaborate with a diverse cohort of higher education leaders from across the nation while learning from the experiences of accomplished college presidents. Through this experience, I hope to strengthen my leadership capacity, explore data-informed strategies and bring innovative ideas back to Moraine Valley that will advance student success and institutional excellence.”
Over the coming year, fellows will examine data on available jobs in their community and student outcomes at their colleges; learn about transformational models with high and improving levels of student success; receive coaching and feedback from accomplished college leaders and devise a concept for major reform strategy at their institution.
“Our research shows that excellent colleges share a common trait: they are led by presidents who focus on a few transformative initiatives that extend beyond enrollment and even completion numbers, centering instead on whether graduates are prepared for transfer and bachelor’s attainment and success in the workforce or further education,” said
Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “I cannot wait to begin working with this impressive set of leaders.”
Dr. Pamela J. Haney, Moraine Valley president, shared, “One of my great joys as president is seeing administrators and staff across the college pursue their goals and achieve success. I am excited – but not surprised – that Dr. Battle was chosen for the prestigious Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship. She has contributed her talents and expertise to Moraine Valley for over a decade, and I know that she will gain a wealth of knowledge to benefit not only Moraine Valley but also strengthen her career trajectory.”
Rising Presidents Fellows are chosen based on their commitment to improving student success and advancing economic mobility, their readiness to lead major student-success reforms and the likelihood that they will assume a college presidency within five years of completing the program. The selected fellows come from 20 states and a wide range of institutions, joining a network of over 500 peers — including over 215 sitting presidents —who are leading colleges that help more students finish college, transfer to four-year institutions and secure good jobs.
The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Burton Family Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, College Futures Foundation, Mellon Foundation and the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at NC State University.
For bios and photos of all 40 leaders, visit as.pn/risingpresidents.
PHOTO CAPTION: Dr. Kiana Battle, vice president for Institutional Effectiveness at Moraine Valley Community College.
