GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Northeast Wisconsin Technical College — NWTC — has hired a new president, and the move marks a big milestone for the institution.
Dr. Kristen Raney has more than 20 years of experience in higher education.
She will become the first woman to ever lead NWTC.
"I'm really humbled by it, and honored by it," Raney said.
NWTC is 111 years old. Its motto is to 'soar higher.'
"Why is it important to have a woman leading the university?," reporter Tyler Job asked.
"It's having, you know, different voices at the table and different viewpoints," Raney said. "And I think that's really critical for our colleges to make sure that we are inclusive."
Sara Lam, the Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at NWTC, said she is looking forward to the change.
"In education, we know that representation matters," Lam said. "It's very powerful for our students, current and future."
One student, Cyana Soung, said the hire is good for people to see.
"I feel like it's very empowering to see," Soung said. "And I think that it puts a lot of things into new perspectives for people."
Just last month, NWTC raised the Pride flag inside its Green Bay Welcome Center.
"I think NWTC has done a great job of being a leader in its commitment to equity and being visible in it," Raney said.
According to the Wisconsin Technical College System, there are 16 tech schools in Wisconsin.
Currently, six of them are led by women, including Moraine Park in Fond du Lac.
Raney will be the seventh.
"I think it's excellent to have women leading colleges across Wisconsin," Raney said.
Raney is currently working in Davenport, Iowa.
She may to new to NWTC, but she's not new to Wisconsin.
Raney said she's a Minnesota girl, but she raised her family in Eau Claire, and started her tech college career right here in The Badger State.
"So, this feels very much like I am coming home," Raney said.
Raney's first day on campus will be July 1.
