The Growing Diversity of Community College Trustees

"While disparities remain, that breakdown is now closer to mirroring the diversity of community college students. In 2025, 57 percent of students were women and 58 percent identified as people of color, according to data from the American Association of Community Colleges. The report, " Community College Trusteeship in 2025: A Commitment to Serve," draws on surveys of more than 2,000 community college trustees and 40 qualitative interviews with trustees, building on similar reports from 1997 and 2018."

"That's in part because community college governing boards are also more likely now to have members who attended a community college. In 2025, 64 percent of trustees attended a community college and 27 percent previously worked at one, according to the report. In 1997, only 51 percent of trustees had been community college students and 22 percent had been employees."

Between 1997 and 2025, female representation on community college boards rose from 33 percent to 47 percent, with the largest gains in the past seven years. Nonwhite trustee representation increased from roughly 12 percent to 27 percent over the same period. In 2025, 57 percent of community college students were women and 58 percent identified as people of color. In 2025, 64 percent of trustees had attended a community college and 27 percent had previously worked at one, compared with 51 percent and 22 percent in 1997. Trustees show commitment to community needs and open access, though disparities remain.

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