Beth Pitonzo, Ph.D. of GTCC selected for the Aspen Institute’s Rising Presidents Fellowship
Published on: June 18, 2025
JAMESTOWN, N.C. (June 18, 2025) – The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) announced today that Beth Pitonzo, Ph.D., senior vice president of instruction at Guilford Technical Community College, is one of 40 leaders selected for the 2025-26 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship. Selected from among over 120 applicants, fellows will learn from—and apply to their own contexts to—lessons from over a dozen years of Aspen research about how to lead an institution to higher and more equitable levels of student success.
“GTCC has a long history of seeking and implementing innovative approaches to improve the student experience and I have been privileged to serve as senior vice president of instruction for the past thirteen years,” shared Pitonzo. “I look forward to continuing the college’s transformative journey through my participation in the Aspen Institute’s Rising President’s Fellowship where I hope to learn new ideas and strategies from higher education professionals and colleague participants from across the nation.”
According to Aspen Institute, this class of Aspen Presidential Fellows represent the next generation of college leaders. The institutions they represent are in 19 states and range from small rural to large urban colleges. The fellows will work closely with community college presidents and thought leaders over 10 months to learn from field-leading research that:
- Examine demographic and labor market conditions in their communities
- Assess student outcomes at their colleges
- Advance a clear vision for positive outcomes for all students while in college and after they graduate.
“Our research on excellent colleges reveals that they have a few big things in common: They have presidents who focus on a few large-scale reforms that transcend enrollment and completion goals and centrally focus on whether graduates are set up to succeed in the next stage of their lives—either the world of work or at a university where they aim to earn a bachelor’s degree,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. “This cohort of fellows is clearly committed to advancing student success and has the talent to lead transformational reforms. We are really looking forward to our year with them in the fellowship and bringing their talents into our alumni network.”
Rising Presidents Fellows are chosen based on their commitment to student success, the extent to which they exhibit the characteristics of excellent presidents revealed in our research, and interest in pursuing a college presidency within five years of completing the fellowship. As Aspen Presidential Fellows, they join a network of over 430 peers—197 of whom are sitting college presidents—who are applying concrete, grounded, and innovative strategies to meet student success challenges at their colleges.
“Dr. Beth Pitonzo is a thoughtful, dynamic leader who is well-deserving of joining the Aspen Institute’s Rising Presidents Fellowship,” said GTCC President, Anthony Clarke Ph.D. “She will bring a wealth of knowledge to the program and is ready to learn new concepts and practices that will help Guilford Technical Community College continue to inspire all students to achieve their educational and career goals. We are proud that she was accepted as an Aspen Fellow and are confident she will be a valuable contributor to the program.”
The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship is made possible by the support of the Burton Family Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, College Futures Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
For bios and photos of all 40 leaders, visit https://as.pn/RPF-C10
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