FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 29, 2021
CONTACTS:
Dave Koffman | 857-990-3334 | koffmand@macc.mass.edu
Tara Smith | 845-798-8260 | smitht@macc.mass.edu
Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges
Welcomes Nate Mackinnon as New Executive Director
BOSTON, MA — The Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC) has announced today that Nate Mackinnon is joining the organization as its new Executive Director. Mackinnon is succeeding Tom Sannicandro in the role, who is retiring at the end of April.
Mackinnon brings a wealth of knowledge about higher education and a passion for the mission of community colleges. He has a strong record of working successfully with Massachusetts legislators and the executive branch and is looking forward to advocating for the critical role community colleges play in promoting equity, workforce development, and economic revitalization.
Mackinnon most recently served as the Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges at the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), and while in Nevada he worked as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Truckee Meadows Community College. Prior to his work in Nevada, Mackinnon was the Assistant Commissioner and Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) for eight years. He also served in research roles both at DHE and in the Massachusetts Legislature for the Joint Committee on Education.
“While I have worked in various capacities across higher education as well as K-12, my passion lies with community colleges. I have seen first-hand, including as an adjunct faculty member at a community college in Nevada, the transformative power community colleges have at closing equity gaps for first-generation, low-income, and students of color,” said Mackinnon. “The multiple missions of community colleges allow students an affordable pathway to a four-year degree through transfer, or opportunities through training for high-skill, high-wage careers to enter the workforce. I believe that, as the nation comes out of the grasp of the pandemic, community colleges should and will be the first responders to reboot our economies through education and training.”
“We are thrilled to have Nate Mackinnon joining MACC. Nate will build on the great work of Tom Sannicandro and the entire MACC team, and propel the organization’s critical mission forward,” said Jim Mabry, President of Middlesex Community College and Chair of the Massachusetts Community College Council of Presidents.
Mackinnon has an M.P.A. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a B.A. from Northeastern University. He is originally from Chelmsford and looks forward to returning to the area with his wife and young daughter.
MACC works on behalf of the Community College Presidents and their local Boards of Trustees to advocate, communicate, and collaborate in order to strengthen community colleges for the benefit of students, communities, and the Commonwealth. The Community Colleges currently serve more than 136,000 students across every region of Massachusetts, representing nearly half of the total students in the state’s public higher education system.
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