March 28, 2012

(Columbia, MD) – Howard Community College (HCC) Chair of the Board of Trustees Katherine Rensin and Howard Community College President Kathleen Hetherington have both been named to The Daily Record’s 2012 list of Maryland’s Top 100 Women. A panel of judges comprised of business professionals and past Top 100 women winners from throughout Maryland recently selected this year’s slate of award winners from 450 nominations. Mrs. Rensin and Dr. Hetherington were selected for the impact that they have consistently made through their leadership, community service and mentoring. This is the second consecutive time that Dr. Hetherington has received the award. A ceremony will be held on Monday, May 7, at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall to honor and congratulate the 2012 winners.

Mrs. Katharine Rensin
Having served as a member of the Howard Community College Board of Trustees since 2003, Mrs. Rensin was named chair of the college’s board of trustees on July 1, 2010. Throughout her tenure on the board, she has served in numerous capacities. In addition to being a member of the Audit and Finance Committee, she has also served on the board’s Legislative and Community Relations Committee, chairing it from 2008-2010. She has contributed greatly to Howard Community College, having served as chairperson of the 15th Annual Columbia Classic Grand Prix in 2002, and as a member of the HCC Educational Foundation Board from 2001-2007, where she served as the vice chair as well as chair of the Nominating Committee. Ms. Rensin also served on the foundation’s Finance and Investment Committee and the New Ventures Committee. She has chaired the President’s Gala Committee in 2006 and 2007. 

Additionally, Mrs. Rensin has volunteered much of her time to mentor and coach HCC students through the Silas Craft Collegians Program, and is a current coach in the Step-Up Program. She was also a member of the Workforce Development Task Force for the 2008 HCC Commission on the Future. As an active member of the community, Mrs. Rensin has served on the board of directors for the Domestic Violence Center for Howard County and as volunteer tutor for Howard County Project Literacy, teaching basic literacy, math, and critical thinking skills to adults with learning disabilities. In 2011, Mrs. Rensin was also inducted to the “Women’s Hall of Fame” by the Howard County Commission for Women.

“I am delighted to be recognized by The Daily Record for this honor,” said Mrs. Rensin. “I have been fortunate to come in contact with so many students at Howard Community College and individuals in the community who truly inspire me. Their lives and the stories that they tell move me to action. I am humbled to be able to serve these individuals and our greater community in any way that I can.”

Dr. Kathleen Hetherington
“I am honored to be included in the company of so many outstanding leaders in Maryland,” said Dr. Hetherington. “I accept the award on behalf of all Howard Community College students, faculty and staff who dedicate themselves to excellence everyday. I share a commitment to vision, innovation and service with each one of them as we work together to ensure that all Howard Community College students become active members of Maryland’s critical workforce.”

Dr. Kathleen Hetherington is the fourth president of Howard Community College and the first in its nearly 41-year history to have begun an academic career by earning an associate degree from a community college. She leads an institution that is nationally recognized for its strong academic programs, innovative approaches to instruction, and student support services. Howard Community College continues to be one of the fastest growing community colleges in Maryland; the college currently enrolls nearly 30,000 credit and noncredit students annually. Under the leadership of Dr. Hetherington the college has received a number of accolades including the 2007 U.S. Senate Productivity Award for Organizational Performance Excellence, and its designation by The Chronicle of Higher Education as a “Great College to Work For” and an honor roll college in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Dr. Hetherington has also lent her expertise to expanding the college’s campus. Her efforts have resulted in the major renovation of such key campus buildings as the Patrick & Jill McCuan Hall and Smith Theatre, which is housed by the Peter & Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, as well as the James Clark, Jr. Library Hall, the first building constructed on campus in 1970. Dr. Hetherington also oversaw the expansion of the Children’s Learning Center, the only lab school in Howard County, and the construction of a second parking garage, comprised of 723 spaces, to accommodate increased enrollment. Most recently, HCC broke ground for a new state-of-the-art health sciences building, which is scheduled to open in January of 2013, and began the design of a new science, engineering and technology building.

An advocate of community service and a leader in Howard County, as well as throughout the state, Dr. Hetherington has most recently served on the boards of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia Festival of the Arts. She is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges and previously served on the Partnership Board of United Way of Central Maryland.

About HCC
Howard Community College (HCC) is a publicly funded two-year community college serving the educational needs of the citizens and employers in Howard County, Maryland since 1970. With its slogan, “You Can Get There from Here,” the college has forged a variety of partnerships to offer career and transfer programs to nearly 30,000 students annually at its main campus in Columbia, the Ecker Business Training Center, and Laurel College Center. Located midway between two major metropolitan areas, Washington DC and Baltimore, MD, Howard Community College is an affordable, community-based institution that has long been recognized for its ability to inspire learning, and the lifelong pursuit of personal and professional goals. Among its many awards is the prestigious U.S. Senate Productivity Award for organizational performance excellence.