Albert Lewis, Jr.: A Learner-Centered Approach to Higher Ed

Dr. Albert Lewis, Jr. is the Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President at Northwest State Community College. Al shares his unique journey into the field and his innovative approach to aligning institutional strategies with student, community, and workforce needs. He discusses the challenges community colleges face in a post-COVID world, including maintaining relevance amidst industry certifications and the abrupt shift to online learning. Al also delves into his efforts at expanding apprenticeship programs, opening a new campus, and leveraging data analytics to better support student success. Throughout the conversation, his customer-centric mindset shines through, emphasizing the importance of understanding and serving the diverse needs of all stakeholders in the education-to-career pipeline.

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Transcript

Julian Alssid: Welcome to Work Forces. I'm Julian Alssid. 

Kaitlin LeMoine: And I'm Kaitlin LeMoine. And we speak with the innovators who shape the future of work and learning.

Julian: Together, we unpack the complex elements of workforce and career preparation and offer practical solutions that can be scaled and sustained. 

Kaitlin: Let's dive in. 

Julian Alssid: On today's episode, we're joined by Dr. Albert Lewis, Jr., an educational leader with extensive contributions to the fields of higher education and workforce development. Al currently serves as chief of staff and executive vice president at Northwest State Community College in Ohio. Throughout his career, he spearheaded transformative initiatives at several institutions, including expanding customized training programs, developing innovative career pathways, securing substantial institutional funding, and championing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Al's been instrumental in leading multiple institutions in the development of innovative workforce development divisions, programs, and industry partnerships. It goes without saying that he has left a lasting impact on the institutions he's served and the students he's mentored. Al holds advanced degrees, including a doctorate in education, specializing in teaching and learning, an MS in industrial and organizational psychology, and an M.Ed in education administration. Welcome to the podcast today, Al. 

Albert Lewis: Thank you. Good to be here. 

Kaitlin LeMoine: Thanks so much for joining us today, Al. It's such a pleasure to have the chance to speak with you. So as we get going, can you please share a bit about your background and how you approach your work? 

Albert: Sure. You know, I came into higher education in a nonconventional way, but it's probably more conventional now than ever. I started a career in broadcasting. That was my initial career. I spent about seven years in the broadcast industry to make a change and I became an entrepreneur. I published a drug education newspaper for about seven, eight years that went into about 150 school systems in two states. As I closed my business down, because I saw trends changing, I started looking for a job and I answered a job ad for Cuyahoga Community College in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio and just looked at it as a job. It was for a sales rep. I said, well, I can sell. Feel like I can sell anything. So I applied and got the job. And I came to Cuyahoga Community College, which is also known as TriI-C, basically looking for a job, but ended up finding my calling as a higher education professional. And what really, I think, cemented my