Monday, June 9, 2025
CVTC President named to national HLC board
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) recently announced that Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) President Dr. Sunem Beaton-Garcia has been named to the Board of Trustees. Her four-year term will begin on September 1, 2025.
Beaton-Garcia is one of five incoming trustees, including three university presidents and one top financial recruitment leader. They were nominated and approved by leaders during the HLC governing board meeting recently. Beaton-Garcia will bring a technical college lens to her board role.
The Board is responsible for overseeing the accreditation process for higher education institutions within the HLC's region. HLC accreditation is a crucial process that ensures the quality and compliance of higher education institutions.
The Board has primary responsibility in five areas: appointment and evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer; HLC’s mission and vision; HLC policy; finances and
planning; and institutional actions, including direct decision-making regarding status, sanction, withdrawal of accreditation, and change of ownership. When the Board decides on an official action, it does so by majority vote of those attending a meeting and eligible to vote.
Beaton-Garcia is a passionate advocate for lifelong learning and the CVTC community, exemplified through her service on various local, state, and national boards.
“I’m honored to be named to the Higher Learning Commission Board of Trustees,” Beaton-Garcia said. “Accreditation is essential to ensuring accountability and excellence in higher education, and I look forward to contributing to the important work of advancing student success and institutional integrity across our region.”
Beaton-Garcia is the 11th president of CVTC, the first woman and first Latina to lead the college. In her first year as president, her primary focus was to strengthen workforce initiatives and build talent supply to meet employer demand. She also focused on deepening the College's connection to its four-year partners and adding an associate of arts degree to the College’s repertoire.
Beaton-Garcia has more than 25 years of instructional experience in education, 12 of those in higher education. Her career includes notable accomplishments for a culture of collaboration and teaching excellence, transformational academic programs and innovation in student support, community engagement, and resource generation and stewardship.
