ICCTA Ray Hartstein Trustee Achievement Award

2011 Recipient
Kathy Wessel
College of DuPage

Kathy Wessel has dedicated her adult life to the cause of education. In addition to teaching middle school for 33 years, she served on the Illinois State Teacher Certification Board from 1995 to 2001.

From 1999 to 2011, Wessel served as a trustee at the College of DuPage, the second-largest single-campus community college in the United States. During her 12-year tenure, she was elected board chair five times and led the college's successful passage of a $168 million capital referendum.



Kathy Wessel receives ICCTA's 2011 Ray Hartstein Trustee Achievement Award from award namesake Ray Hartstein.

Kathy Wessel receives ICCTA's 2011 Ray Hartstein Trustee Achievement Award from the honor's namesake, former ICCTA president Ray Hartstein.
At the state level, Wessel effectively channeled her persuasive skills and unwavering enthusiasm to promote the Illinois community college system.

She served as chair of ICCTA's West Suburban Region and led the association's Public Relations, State Relations, and Women in Leadership committees.

As ICCTA president from 2008 to 2009, she created the Coalition for Community College Funding, which brought together trustees, presidents, students and labor unions in a unique collaboration. She also appointed a special Public Relations Committee that developed a statewide billboard campaign to raise awareness of our outstanding colleges.

Wessel also expanded ICCTA's educational programs to include a media training and a Sophomore Seminar for not-so-new trustees.