- National Search Yields Rosslyn Knight, Experienced Organizational and Communications Strategist, for Executive Leadership Role at Guttman
- Guttman Community College President Larry Johnson, Jr. Names Rosslyn Knight Executive Chief of Staff at College’s 10-Year Mark
NEW YORK, NY, September 8, 2022— Stella and Charles Guttman Community College President Larry Johnson, Jr. today announced that Dr. Rosslyn Knight will serve as his Executive Chief of Staff, effective September 19, 2022. With system-wide responsibilities as former Chief Academic Affairs Officer of Arizona’s 10-college Maricopa County Community College District, Knight succeeds Carlos Burgos and Linda Merians in her new role at Guttman. As Chief of Staff, Knight will collaborate with the President to oversee the design and implementation of key initiatives, programs, and policies that place student access and success at the core of Guttman’s priority outcomes. She will work closely with CUNY administrative leaders as well as internal and external stakeholders to advance the growth and sustainability of Guttman Community College.
Knight’s background in higher education includes almost thirty years in teaching and administration, with strengths in strategic collaboration and consensus-building. She is nationally recognized for her work advancing institutional equity through data analytics for college placement and completion.
Responsible for communicating effectively across one of the country’s largest community college systems, Knight worked actively with ten college presidents, their vice presidents, deans, faculty leaders and service area leads. In her tenure at the District level, Knight was active in community organizations and scholarly committees advocating for representation of women and minorities in civic affairs.
Previously, Knight served as Faculty Chair in Reading and ESL at Rio Salado College, Tempe, Arizona, and as the College’s Interim Dean of Instruction and Academic Affairs. Knight’s broad educational experience also includes K-8 teaching, grants coordination, professional development, and training for distributive leadership in school improvement. She taught ESL for four years as an international classroom educator in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
“Rosslyn Knight has a long history of success in the academy, and I am fortunate to have her as my Chief of Staff,” says President Johnson. “She has a wealth of knowledge and experience that make her extraordinarily qualified to empower others and enact strategies to achieve our institutional priorities. Dr. Knight joins our leadership team with years of successful facilitation of multi-level collaborations that drive powerful data-driven initiatives in diverse educational settings. I know Rosslyn will be a strong leader and a great benefit to the entire college. I look forward to the journey ahead.”
“I’m excited for the privilege of joining the Guttman community as it celebrates 10 years of educating students,” says Dr. Rosslyn Knight. “Guttman’s focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for students and employees resonates with me. I look forward to bringing my experiences to Guttman in support of the best practices that Guttman is known for. Having worked with Dr. Johnson in the past, I know his commitment to student success, equity, and innovation. I’m honored to serve the students and employees of Guttman Community College.”
Rosslyn Knight will begin her new duties effective Monday, September 19th.
Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, celebrating its tenth anniversary, welcomed its inaugural cohort of students in August 2012. It was CUNY’s first new community college in more than forty years with the purpose of reimagining a community college that would create a research-based innovative academic program geared to moving students quickly and efficiently towards graduation. The three-year graduation rate is more than twice the national average, and the two-year graduation rate far exceeds the 4% national average of public two-year colleges in large cities. Guttman is federally designated as a Hispanic-serving institution and Minority-serving institution with more than 90% of the student population identifying at Latinx/a/o or Black/African American. More than 80% of Guttman graduates go on to senior colleges, with many of them continuing at CUNY schools. Guttman’s high graduation rates contribute greatly to the College being ranked as the best community college in America in 2020, and the top community college in New York State for 2020, 2021 and 2022 by Niche.com and other organizations ranking higher education institutions.