About the President

Dr. Phelan has also led major efforts to serve the whole student, including expanded student navigation, support for food and housing security, transportation, mental health, medical care, childcare, and related student needs. Jackson College’s Corrections Education Program (CEP), initially launched through Second Chance Pell, now serves more than 800 incarcerated students each year in six Michigan correctional facilities. Other major initiatives during his tenure include Jackson College Global, Jackson Preparatory & Early College, the STEAM Factory, the Applied Technology Center, the Medical Simulation Center, the Center for Health Professions, student residences, and other facilities and programs designed to strengthen student learning and regional workforce development.

A nationally recognized voice in the community college movement, Dr. Phelan is widely known for his work in board governance, presidential leadership, policy governance, institutional change, and public accountability. He has testified before the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, participated in Negotiated Rulemaking, congressional briefings, and worked extensively on state and federal policy matters affecting community colleges. His governance work includes the book The Community College Board 2.0: Covenant Governance, the book Unrelenting Change, Disruptive Innovation and Risk: Forging the Next Generation of Community Colleges, and the forthcoming Governing on Purpose. He is also a frequent speaker, author, teacher, consultant, and advisor to boards and presidents across the country.

Dr. Phelan’s current national service includes serving as Chair of the Board for the Center for Community College Student Engagement, Chair of the Board for the League for Innovation in the Community College, Vice Chair of Phi Theta Kappa’s International Board of Directors, a Trustee of the Higher Learning Commission, a member of the American Association of Community Colleges Board of Directors, and an editorial board member for New Directions for Community Colleges. He previously served as Chair of the American Association of Community Colleges Board of Directors, Chair of the Higher Education Resource Development Institute, a member of the American Council on Education Board of Directors, and in numerous other national and state leadership roles.

Closer to home, Dr. Phelan remains deeply committed to Jackson and the surrounding region. His community service includes the Henry Ford Health System Board of Directors, Accelerate Jackson, the Jackson College Foundation, the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce, and other civic, economic development, educational, and healthcare organizations. His healthcare governance service has also included board leadership with Henry Ford Jackson Hospital. This service reflects his belief that education, health, economic vitality, workforce development, and community wellbeing are closely connected.

Dr. Phelan holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Iowa State University, an MBA from St. Ambrose University, and both a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from Mount St. Clare College. He has completed additional post-graduate leadership and governance work through the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the League for Innovation in the Community College, Govern for Impact, and the Michigan Health and Hospital Association’s Excellence in Governance Fellowship.

His leadership has been recognized through numerous honors, including the Association of Community College Trustees Chief Executive Officer of the Year Award, Phi Theta Kappa’s Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction, the Iowa State University Alumni Achievement Award, the AACC 25-Year Leadership Recognition, the Harold White Diversity Achievement Award, and the Kentucky Colonel Commission.

At the center of Dr. Phelan’s work is a simple and enduring conviction: community colleges transform lives and strengthen communities by providing love, care, and service to others. He is married to Dr. Adriana Phelan, who teaches at the University of Michigan. Together they are the proud parents of four daughters, Katie, Michelle, Maggie, and Isabella, and share their home with an Australian Labradoodle named Oreo.

Press Photos

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