KATHLEEN PLINSKE

PRESIDENT, VALENCIA COLLEGE, ORLANDO

Valencia College serves more than 75,000 students and employs 4,000-plus people. Valencia works closely with regional employers, civic organizations and local governments to strengthen the community's talent pipeline. Plinske joined Valencia in 2010, was named president in 2021 and has "made affordability a defining priority,” she says. “Today, more than 43% of Valencia's students pay nothing out of pocket for tuition or fees, up from 33% when I took office. … Our team has worked to ensure that cost is never the reason students don't pursue their education.”

EDUCATION: Indiana University (BA, Phil.D.), Pepperdine University (Ed.D.), Roosevelt University (MA), University of Florida (MS, MBA)

NOTABLE TREND: One persistent myth is that college is unaffordable. An associate's degree from Valencia costs approximately $6,000; tuition hasn't risen in over a decade; and 43% of students pay nothing out of pocket after scholarships and aid are applied. Community colleges offer extraordinary value, yet the national conversation remains fixated on student debt.

PERSONAL RESET: Spending time with my husband and our pups, Cooper and Lilibet.