Kelly Iwanaga Becker Named Oakton Assistant Vice President
(Feb. 6, 2019) Oakton Community College announces the appointment of Kelly Iwanaga Becker as the college’s assistant vice president for institutional effectiveness and strategic planning, effective March 11. Becker is currently the associate director of student affairs assessment and planning at Northwestern University.
At Oakton, Becker will be responsible for institutional research and college-wide strategic planning functions. She will also coordinate the preparation of required state and federal reports and oversee accreditation reports and data as required by the Higher Learning Commission. In addition, she will assist with the management and coordination of college projects while reviewing, assessing and recommending improvements in work flow and processes within the college.
“Kelly brings an impressive background in providing assessment, research and strategic planning support for various departments from her prior academic experience,” says Oakton President Joianne Smith. “My expectation is that she will hit the ground running at Oakton to work collaboratively to enhance the vision of the college.”
Becker recently completed her doctorate in sociology at Northwestern. Her dissertation focused on the high-school-to-college transition for low income, first-generation college students and their persistence in higher education. As a graduate research assistant at Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research, she conducted quantitative research on numerous topics, including those related to college access, persistence and satisfaction at community colleges.
“I am thrilled to join the Oakton community and help shape the next phase of the college’s strategic plan,” Becker says. “The college has ambitious goals that will move it in exciting directions. I’m looking forward to engaging with faculty, staff, administrators and students in measuring positive progress.”
Before Northwestern, her professional experience included working in admissions at DePaul University and serving as a junior high school teacher in Chicago.
She earned two master’s degree in education and sociology from Northwestern University and received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Boston College.