Cheryl Calhoun

Cheryl Calhoun

Arapahoe Community College

Littleton, CO
United States

2023-2024
Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow

Cheryl Calhoun is the Provost / Vice President of Instruction at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado. In this position, she serves as the senior instructional officer of the College and provides dynamic leadership and administrative oversight to the College’s instructional units and academic support services.

Dr. Calhoun has over 25 years of experience in community college education as Professor of Information Technology, Program Coordinator, Dean and Vice President. She previously served as Dean of Access & Inclusion for Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, providing leadership for five educational centers and serving as the college's inaugural diversity officer. Cheryl is passionate about creating educational systems that embrace a diversity of learners and seek to provide equity in successful educational attainment.

Calhoun’s educational background includes a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, an MBA in Information Science / Entrepreneurship, and a BAS in Food and Resource Economics. Being the first woman in her family to earn a college degree - and the first in her family to earn a graduate degree - Dr. Calhoun learned to navigate unfamiliar educational resources. Her early experiences working in HIV/AIDS education set the stage for a lifelong commitment to social justice and utilizing education as a tool for achieving equity. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Dr. Calhoun has shared struggles of acceptance and belonging. These experiences have helped her to develop an understanding of the importance of embracing diversity and helping others to navigate the educational system to gain access to resources.

Cheryl has a long history of being active in her community. She currently serves on the Littleton Downtown Development Authority board and has been a member of Leadership Gainesville, the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce Place Action Committee, Equality Florida Gainesville Gala Steering Committee, and the United Way Community Investment Council.