American Association of Community Colleges Appoints Oakton Administrator to Leadership Committee

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), a national advocacy organization representing nearly 1,200 community, junior, and technical colleges, has appointed Merrill Irving Jr., Oakton Community College’s associate vice president of continuing education, training, and workforce development, to a one-year term on its newly formed Advisory Committee on Leadership Initiatives. The committee will counsel the AACC on programs that provide emerging and seasoned leaders with professional development opportunities.

“I’m excited to serve on this prestigious committee,” said Irving, whose appointment begins July 1. “It’s a great opportunity to actively engage with other community colleges, while working with the AACC to enhance the way we mentor and develop leaders in higher education.”

Irving, who joined Oakton last summer, oversees a division that enrolls 36,000 students annually. In his post at the College, Irving serves as the chief administrator for Oakton’s Alliance for Lifelong Learning and supervises College-wide operations in workforce programs, noncredit courses and curricula accreditation, adult education, online programming and courses, corporate training, and intergovernmental agreements. He also is a liaison to the Cook County Workforce Investment Board and the Illinois Community College Board.

Prior to Oakton, Irving, a Northbrook resident, was the chairperson for continuing education and professional development at Miami Dade College (MDC) Wolfson Campus in Florida. He received a bachelor of arts in political science and a master of public administration from West Virginia University, and doctor of education in educational psychology from the University of Southern California.