Office of the President

Colleen Simpson, EdD

President

Dr. Colleen Simpson is the ninth president of Front Range Community College. During her tenure at FRCC, she has led efforts to reimagine the college for the future—with a focus on boosting educational excellence and removing barriers to student success. 

In her time at the college, FRCC has launched its third bachelor’s degree program (in business for creative industries), created transformational new transfer partnerships with four-year universities, and seen a significant increase in fundraising success for student scholarships and program support. 

Dr. Simpson has served as FRCC’s president since 2022. She represents the college on the boards of directors for UCHealth, the Boulder Chamber, the Colorado Community College System Foundation and Colorado’s Elevate Quantum consortium. 

Her decades of higher education experience have included work in enrollment management, student affairs, academic affairs, teaching and leadership. Before leading FRCC, Dr. Simpson served as the vice president of student services and regional learning centers at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. In that role, she oversaw multiple campuses and five regional learning centers with a focus on: 

• leading academic innovation 
• designing “student-ready” experiences 
• addressing the educational, economic and workforce development needs of the region 

Prior to that role, Dr. Simpson worked at Bronx Community College—part of the City University of New York (CUNY)—as the administrator overseeing retention and student success. There, she led and managed a comprehensive program of services that: 

• promoted access to education 
• kept students engaged and in college 
• helped students complete their degree or credential 

Dr. Simpson earned her doctoral degree (EdD) in educational leadership, administration and policy from Fordham University. She earned both her master’s degree (MSEd) in higher education administration and her bachelor’s degree (BBA) in international marketing from Baruch College (also part of the CUNY system).