As Provost of College of DuPage, the largest single campus community college in the state of Illinois, Mark is the Chief Academic Officer. In addition, he oversees Continuing Education, Workforce, and the performing and visual arts programs of the McAninch Arts Center. Mark is an Aspen Institute 2020 – 2021 Rising Presidents Fellow and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Community College Hispanic Council.

With 20+ years of experience in community colleges in teaching and leadership, Mark is deeply committed to its mission of open access and student success. In his leadership roles, growing enrollment has been a hallmark of his career, most recently growing enrollment 5.8% at College of DuPage. He has led these strategic enrollment management efforts in order to open doors of opportunity to under-served and under-resourced communities. He has also been responsive to the community’s needs, building dual-credit programs and working with companies like Hewlett Packard and SAP to create new degrees and certificates. He has also built a Competency Based Education program, which led to many national presentations and consultations. Moreover, Mark has helped increase student completion and success through building such college-wide programs as Guided Pathways, co-requisites, early alert, open educational resources, and bridge programs.

Mark has a PhD in Higher Education from the University of Toledo, an MA in English from Northern Illinois University, and a BA in English from Indiana University. 

Samuel “Todd” Brand has spent twenty-five years working in the field of higher education. Originally from Mendenhall, MS, Dr. Brand currently serves as Interim President of Big Sandy Community & Technical College. Prior to that he spent five years as Chief Academic Officer at Ashland Community & Technical College in Ashland, Kentucky.

Before moving to Kentucky, Brand served for almost two decades as Division Chair of Fine Arts and Communication and as Arts & Letters Series Director at Meridian Community College in Meridian, Mississippi.  He also served as an assistant coach for three men’s basketball coaches during his tenure at the college.  While at MCC, he also completed a Ph.D. program in community college leadership at Mississippi State University. Prior to MCC, he also served as an instructor and assistant men’s basketball coach for two years at East Central Community College in Decatur, Mississippi.  

Dr. Brand’s background is in television and radio.  He holds a BS degree in Mass Communication and an MS degree in Communication from Mississippi College.  Upon graduation from Mississippi College, he worked extensively in media.  This included stints as on-air talent for both ESPN Radio Jackson, MS for 16 WAPT TV. From television and radio, Dr. Brand moved into the field of education. 

Dr. Kori Gregg is currently the President and CEO of the Cowley College Foundation in Arkansas City, Kansas. Prior to this position she served as the Vice-President for Institutional Advancement. Dr. Gregg has extensive senior level experience in community colleges and began her career as an adjunct instructor at Butler Community College. It was during her time there that she realized the true value of the community college and the potential it had to change the lives of the students we serve.

As a lifelong Kansan, Dr. Gregg understands the importance of our two-year institutions in our state and the impact they have on the communities they serve, particularly those in the rural areas. Dr. Gregg understands the unique challenges that these rural institutions are facing, with decreasing enrollments on the institutional side and barriers unique to our rural populations on the other. She knows it will be imperative to find innovative solutions to ensure our colleges and communities remain viable for the next generation of students.

Dr. Gregg is known for her innovative, entrepreneurial mindset and her keen strategic, data-based decision making. She is a strong communicator who values relationships with all of the college’s constituents. Her experience not only in teaching and administration, but in economic development, government and public relations, and fundraising make her uniquely experienced to assume this next step in her career. Dr. Gregg holds several distinctions including graduation from the Management and Leadership in Education program at Harvard University, Women Who Lead in Higher Education from the Wichita Chamber of Commerce, graduate of the Future Presidents Institute, certified corporate coach from Minds at Work, Harvard Graduate School of Education and she also holds the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), the highest credential for fundraising executives. 

Dr. Leffler is a dynamic leader and first-generation Hispanic community college graduate who grew up on a farm in Southeast Iowa. Her academic journey is rooted in a commitment to education and equity, with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Sociology from Iowa State University, a Master of Science in Counseling from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Iowa State University. She is also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

Dr. Leffler brings over two decades of higher education leadership, driven by a mission to enhance student success and promote educational equity. She currently serves as Vice President of Student Success at Lone Star College - University Park. Her extensive experience includes serving as Academic Dean at Remington College-Dallas Campus, Vice President of Student Development Services at Tarrant County College - Southeast Campus, and over 11 years at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa, where she held pivotal roles such as Dean of Academic Services and Director of Counseling Services.

An advocate for lifelong learning and global perspectives, Dr. Leffler has completed prestigious fellowships, including the Salzburg Global Institute in Austria, the NASPA Institute for New Vice Presidents of Student Affairs, and the Castilla y León Travel and Education Institute in Spain. She is also a graduate of Iowa State University’s Leadership in the New Century program.