Kim Dale
College President
Western Wyoming Community College
Rock Springs, WY USA
“Don't forget to advocate for yourself.”
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
A master's degree was required to teach college. I enrolled in a program, at the displeasure of my then-husband.
Gave birth to twins during my master's program. Already had a four-year-old. Finished this two-year program in six years. Never gave up.
Decided to enroll in a PhD program to pursue college administration positions.
Got divorced, was a single mom of three teenagers, my dad got sick and passed away.
Met and married my biggest champion.
After eight years in the program, finished the PhD. This was a four-year program. Never gave up.
Became a dean and later moved to a neighboring state to become an executive vice president of a community college.
Moved to Wyoming to become president of Western Wyoming Community College, my dream job.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Columbine High School
Columbine High School
Bachelor
Business Education
Metropolitan State College of Denver
Business Education
Metropolitan State College of Denver
Graduate
Management and Organization
University of Colorado at Denver
Management and Organization
University of Colorado at Denver
Doctorate
Educational Leadership and Human Resource Studies
Colorado State University
Educational Leadership and Human Resource Studies
Colorado State University
Career
College President
I am the chief executive of a rural community college. I help improve the lives of our students and communities.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Government
Helping People
Day to Day
Meetings with direct reports, meetings with college teams, meetings with business and industry professionals, meetings with other community college presidents, meetings with the Wyoming Community College Commission, meetings with the President of the Board of Trustees, meetings with students, emails, Zoom. My job requires me to be interacting with people about 90% of most days.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
College administrator roles have three basic defined career pathways: administration / finance, academic affairs or student services. Where does your passion lie? I went the academic affairs route, which means you start as a college teacher and move into academic administration, a.k.a. a college dean and / or chief academic officer. It is critical to decide which pathway you wish to take, because this will determine the degrees you need to acquire. A PhD is required for most college presidencies.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Bachelor
Business Education
Business Education
Graduate
Management and Organization
Management and Organization
Doctorate
Educational Leadership and Human Resource Studies
Educational Leadership and Human Resource Studies
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Family:
"Teachers don't make any money and are undervalued. Why do you have to spend all that time and money going back to school? Is it really worth it to get all those degrees?"
