Commencement/Graduation

Commencement Speaker:

 Dr. Kathleen Linaker

Kathleen (Kat) Linaker is President of Riverland Community College. Prior to joining Riverland in July 2023, she served as vice president of academics from 2018 to 2022 at Western Technical College (WI). Previously, she served Mohawk Valley Community College (NY) as assistant vice president of academics and dean of the School of STEM, Health, and Natural Sciences (2016 to 2018), as dean of the Center for Life and Health Sciences (2015 to 2016), and as a SUNY Guided Pathways state coach (2016 to 2018). She served D’Youville University (NY) as the executive director of chiropractic programs (2009 to 2015). She was a faculty member from 1999 to 2009 and continues to teach one diagnostic imaging course each spring as an adjunct. She also brings 15 years of experience in the healthcare industry as an employee, small business owner, and consultant.

Some of her accomplishments include fostering equity-focused academic practices such as transitioning from remedial education courses and placement testing to placing students into college-level courses with embedded supports, increasing conversion from pre-college programming by over 200%. She led the design of a comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategic plan that, in its first year, resulted in a 10% increase in diverse hires and is narrowing equity gaps across all demographics. Her work with local employers, K12 districts, and transfer partners has resulted in increased opportunities for students, especially those in small rural districts. Her career has brought her a wide range of skills including strategic planning, leadership, project and change management, fiscal management, team building, grant management, and fundraising.

The first in her family to attend college, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Alberta, a Doctor of Chiropractic from Northwestern Health Sciences University (MN), and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Loyola University (IL). She is a strong advocate for community and technical college education, having witnessed firsthand generational poverty and the power of education to transform the lives of both students and their families.