//// View the Latest
Follow Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee on social media
Mordecai Ian Brownlee
President
Dr. Brownlee is an inclusive educator who is committed to the intellectual and economic empowerment of diverse communities. Proudly serving as the sixth president of CCA, Dr. Mordecai provides our institution impressive leadership and experience with advancing equitable student success, improving student advocacy and support services, and expanding academic pathways. Within the first two years of his presidency, President Brownlee has already brought about significant change and improved the student success agenda at the Community College of Aurora. These successes include CCA embarking upon its first capital project in 24 years, record-breaking capital and scholarship fundraising, the hiring of CCA’s largest and most diverse faculty ranks in the college’s history, improved student completions by more than 20%, and CCA becoming the first Achieving the Dream institution in the State of Colorado.
Dr. Mordecai publishes frequently, including serving as a columnist for EdSurge. He also teaches for Lamar University within the College of Education and Human Development and serves as an international keynote speaker. Dr. Mordecai has been featured on several local, state, and national platforms including the American Association of Community Colleges Community College Journal, NASPA Leadership Exchange, EdUp Experience, EdTech Magazine, and Colorado Sentinel. In 2023, Dr. Mordecai was named 40 Under 40 by the prestigious Denver Business Journal and the Community Leader of the Year by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. In 2022, he was featured by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education Magazine as a “New School” leader representing the next generation of college presidents.
Recent Articles by Dr. Brownlee:
Beyond Politics: The Moral Obligation of Equity in Higher Education
As the sector awaits federal guidance set by the Attorney General and the Secretary of Education, questions are swirling regarding how institutions of higher education approach student access, support, and belonging.
The educators guide to self-care in uncertain times
Educators are uniquely responsible for guiding learners to pathways of knowledge, transformation, and empowerment. However, how can we serve as a practical guide for others if we fail first to guide ourselves?
Embracing the Future: Why Higher Education’s Transformation is Just Beginning
The voices of educators expressing initiative fatigue, burnout, disengagement, and tactics such as quiet quitting have grown in popularity in higher education over the past several years, largely due to the changing American landscape and the societal changes that have promoted new cultural norms in education.
Colorado needs more workers. Schools like Community College of Aurora are meeting that need.
On Jan. 20, Donald Trump declared at his inauguration that America’s golden age had officially begun. These words come at a time when Americans are feeling squeezed from all angles of everyday life, from the cost of living to wage stagnation to inflation to the lack of affordable housing. The urgency for solutions is at an all-time high.
AI: A New Era of Access and Economic Mobility
In the post-pandemic era of higher education, college access, public trust in higher education, and AI are all converging in a disruptive way, ushering in a new standard for our learners. Community colleges must retool their institutional access and economic mobility agendas to ensure market responsiveness and meet learner expectations.
Discovering Your Mission
Dr. Brownlee talks with Dr. Martha M. Parham, the Senior Vice President, Public Relations for the American Association of Community Colleges.
Lessons from My Initial Years as a College President
Since becoming a college president, students and community members frequently have asked me what the day in the life of a college president entails. With a smile, I respond that, as a college president, I am responsible for ensuring that our institution fulfills its institutional mission by providing our faculty and staff with the high-quality resources to support their service to our students who have entrusted us with their dreams and aspirations.
REQUEST A MEETING WITH PRESIDENT BROWNLEE
You can submit a request for a meeting with President Brownlee
REQUEST A SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT WITH PRESIDENT BROWNLEE
You can submit a request for President Brownlee to speak at your event.