Dr. Ketmani Kouanchao, currently dean of support services at Pasadena (Calif.) City College, has been named executive vice president and senior academic officer at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, Minnesota.
As dean of support services at Pasadena City College, Kouanchao leads a student services division which includes basic-needs and family resource centers and the college’s offices for disabled student programs, student health, psychological and veterans resource services. She also chairs the college’s Crisis Prevention and Response Team, oversees a variety of testing and accommodation services, and supervises faculty in the college’s counseling department.
Kouanchao was born in Savannakhet, Laos, and migrated with her family to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1979, after spending time in refugee camps. NTC President John L. Hoffman, Ph.D., said Kouanchao’s background, combined with her extensive experience in California’s two-year college system, would provide a fresh perspective for NTC’s mission to prepare students for careers in the Bemidji region and beyond.
“What particularly impressed me about Dr. Kouanchao were the examples she provided of ways in which she leads with care — even when making difficult decisions,” he said. “As one member of our faculty told me, she demonstrates a passion for disadvantaged youth — especially those trying to navigate higher education systems. Her experiences resonate with many of NTC’s faculty, and as a first-generation student herself she will certainly connect with our students as well.”
Prior to her current role, she spent five years as associate dean of special services at Pasadena City College. In that role, she created a position to help orient blind and visually impaired veterans to campus, opened a food pantry that serves more than 1,800 students each month and helped the college more than double its enrollment of students who received support from its Disabled Student Programs & Services office. In addition, she helped the college create its first Family Resource Center, which graduated its first class of parenting students this past summer.
Other previous roles include dean of student services at Mendocino College in Mendocino, California, and director of Extended Opportunity Programs Services, and the Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education and TRIO programs at Mt. San Jacinto College in San Jacinto, California. She also directed the TRIO Upward Bound program at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
“I am honored and humbled by President Hoffman and the search and screen committee’s trust in selecting me for this position,” Kouanchao said.
Kouanchao said she felt strongly connected to the NTC campus community during her visit and saw parallels between the college’s students and her own lived experiences. Her parents attended and earned certificates from Minneapolis Area Technical College, and she also attended a community college after high school.
“Vocational-technical education and community college opened the doors for my family, starting with my parents,” she said.
“I am excited to work with President Hoffman and his leadership team to accomplish great things in the coming year,” she said. “I look forward to meeting and getting to know NTC students, faculty and staff, and engaging them in creating a place of belonging, advocacy, collaboration and integrity within our campus and community engagement with industries and the surrounding communities.”
Kouanchao earned her doctorate in educational leadership, with an emphasis in community college leadership and administration, from California State University, Fullerton. She also earned a master’s degree in family education, bachelor’s degrees in sociology, public health and East Asian studies and an associate’s degree in general education from the University of Minnesota.
Kouanchao’s appointment at NTC begins on November 14.