Charleston, SC – June 20, 2025 – The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program has announced that Laurie Boeding, Ed.D., vice president for Academic Affairs at Trident Technical College, has been selected as one of 40 exceptional leaders nationwide to join the 2025–2026 cohort of the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship.
This highly selective leadership program is designed to prepare the next generation of community college presidents to lead institutions that achieve higher levels of student success. Fellows are chosen through a rigorous process based on their commitment to student achievement, leadership potential and readiness to take on a college presidency within the next five years.
Boeding brings over 22 years of experience at Trident Technical College, where she began as a faculty member in Information Technology and Cybersecurity. Over the years, she has held numerous leadership roles including department head, academic dean and campus dean. Her work has focused on aligning academic pathways with workforce needs, improving student retention and driving data-informed innovation to support student outcomes.
“I am honored to be selected for the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship,” said Boeding. “This opportunity will allow me to collaborate with a network of forward-thinking leaders and deepen my ability to lead transformational change that benefits students and communities.”
As Aspen Presidential Fellows, Boeding and her cohort join a network of over 430 forward-thinking peers—197 of whom are sitting college presidents—who are applying concrete, grounded and innovative strategies to meet student success challenges at their colleges. The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to strengthen higher education leadership and practice to improve student outcomes—with the ultimate goal of advancing economic mobility and developing talent for the good of each individual and society as a whole.
“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.”
Throughout the year-long fellowship, Boeding and her peers will engage in intensive learning experiences, mentorship from accomplished college presidents and the development of strategic reforms grounded in Aspen’s research on high-performing community colleges.
The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship is supported by the Mellon Foundation, the Burton Family Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and the College Futures Foundation.
About the Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite
human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world.
Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action
to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC
and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners.
For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.