Oct. 15, 2025
Aurora, CO – This month, the President of the Community College of Aurora (CCA), Dr. Mordecai I. Brownlee, became a board member for the Education Design Lab (the Lab). The national nonprofit researches and develops education models focused on guiding students to the workforce. As a board member, Dr. Brownlee will support the Lab’s mission in designing those pathways from education to the workforce.
“It is a profound honor to join the Board of Directors of Education Design Lab,” Dr. Brownlee said. “At a time when America must move with urgency to produce a viable, future-ready workforce, the Lab represents a proven solution — linking innovation, industry demand, and upward economic mobility. I am proud to serve alongside this incredible team, helping to ensure that learners, communities, and industries across our nation thrive.”
The Community College of Aurora joined the Lab’s Community College Growth Engine project in 2022 to expand Behavioral Health pathways and connect graduates to in-demand, high-wage careers. In recognition of his leadership in advancing workforce innovation nationally, Dr. Brownlee was later nominated and elected to serve on the Lab’s Board of Directors.
The Lab’s mission is closely aligned with CCA’s recently refined mission to prepare students for the workforce and enhance their socio-economic mobility.
“This expansion of our board will add important leadership perspectives from current and former college presidents who are shaping the future of higher education to serve the needs of New Majority Learners,” said Kathleen deLaski, the Lab’s founder and board chair. “Mordecai leads some of the Lab’s most impactful micro-pathway work statewide in Colorado, navigating employer engagement, leveraging critical partnerships, and ensuring state regulatory alignment resulting in Community College of Aurora being the lead institution in the system’s five behavioral health pathways.”
About the Community College of Aurora
The Community College of Aurora (CCA) provides high-quality instruction and student support services to Aurora, Centennial, and Denver, Colorado. With a vision to aspire to be a college where every student succeeds, CCA is the most diverse college in the State of Colorado. Focused on creating social and economic mobility for its students, the college offers courses on three campuses, online, and through its high school concurrent enrollment programs. For more information, visit www.ccaurora.edu.
About Education Design Lab
Education Design Lab (the Lab) is a national nonprofit and intermediary with a mission to co-design an inclusive, skills-based learn+work system that facilitates upward economic mobility and closes opportunity gaps for the New Majority Learner-Earner. Since 2013, the Lab has worked on the ground with over 1,200 colleges + organizations, 1,000 employers, and thousands of learners, who need education programs and pathways that better serve their futures. Learn more at www.eddesignlab.org.
Contact
Courtney Butler
Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Special Initiatives
Strategic Communications and Alumni Engagement
P: 303-340-7201 | E: [email protected]