Dr. Maureen Dunne Elected Vice President and President-Elect of ICCTA

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., July 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Autism Community Ventures, a public benefit corporation with a global network of partner organizations and a mission to drive social, economic, and financial inclusion, is proud to announce that its Director, Dr. Maureen Dunne, has been officially elected as Vice President and President-Elect of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association ("ICCTA").

Dr. Dunne began her term as Vice President on July 1 and will begin her term as President of ICCTA in 2022. 

With a background as an entrepreneur, educator, and executive, working with robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, Dr. Dunne will bring to the role a direct understanding of some of the key forces set to transform the employment opportunity landscape in Illinois and across the country over coming years.

"As a society, the community college system might be our most important institution for confronting some of our most critical challenges on the road ahead," noted Dunne. "Together, we face a difficult post-pandemic recovery process, an increasingly imbalanced socioeconomic opportunity problem, and an employment landscape changing at an accelerating rate in response to a series of simultaneous and mutually reinforcing technology breakthroughs combining forces to quickly redefine the nature of gainful employment across nearly every major industry. The Illinois community college system is going to be called on to play a central role in the future history of Illinois. The ICCTA will be critical to making sure that call is answered in every community across the state. And I am honored, excited, and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of that story."

Dunne serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees at College of DuPage, one of the largest community colleges in the nation, representing 1.2 million residents and approximately 25k students, granting her large-scale firsthand experience with the fine balance of constraints and resources that define the challenges and opportunities faced by community colleges as they work to confront new challenges and navigate the rapidly evolving needs of students, faculty members, and surrounding communities.

"Dr. Dunne really jumped in when she started representing the College of DuPage at ICCTA events," said Bob Thompson, chair of the ICCTA Nominating Committee. "She's got talent that matches her intellect, and we couldn't be more fortunate to have her in leadership with our association."

A product of the Illinois community college system, Dr. Dunne completed the Honors Program at College of DuPage after graduating early from high school. She then transferred to the University of Chicago, earning simultaneous bachelor's and master's degrees, subsequently being awarded the Rhodes Scholarship - the first-ever community college graduate to win the honor. She went on to receive a doctorate degree in cognitive sciences from Oxford University and completed post-doctoral fellowship work at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while also completing an additional master's degree in Anthropology of Learning from the London School of Economics in the process. She received national recognition as a community college advocate by the American Association of Community Colleges with the Outstanding Alumni Award and as a keynote speaker on Community College Day for the National Science Foundation. 

Dr. Dunne has co-founded and advised venture-backed technology companies and currently serves as the Managing Partner of social impact investment vehicles, in addition to service on several nonprofit and corporate boards. A Paul Harris Fellow at Rotary International, Dunne is the co-founder of a nonprofit initiative that sponsors inclusive coding bootcamps.

Dunne is also a member of the Association of Community College Trustees Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, where she guides legislative priorities impacting over 12 million students attending community colleges across the United States and beyond. 

About ICCTA
The Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) has provided legislative advocacy and educational opportunities for the state's public community college boards for over fifty years. The Illinois Community College System is the third-largest in the country and consists of 39 public community college districts and 48 member colleges offering over 3,500 associate degree and certificate programs, serving over 700,000 students.

About Autism Community Ventures
Autism Community Ventures is a public benefit corporation with a global network of partner organizations and a mission to drive social, economic, and financial inclusion. Media contact: William Doyle, [email protected]

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Dr. Maureen Dunne 

SOURCE Autism Community Ventures