Gillian McKnight-Tutein

Dr. Gillian (Dr. G) McKnight-Tutein (she/hers) is currently the interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Community College of Denver. As the chief academic officer, and a member of the president’s Executive Council, she provides vision and leads all academic divisions on the Auraria and Lowry campuses, and the Advanced Manufacturing Center.

An award-winning instructor and administrator, McKnight-Tutein believes that each student was inherently born for greatness and that their potential is infinite. She expects that everyone at the college, regardless of title, takes responsibility for students realizing their definition of success. McKnight-Tutein has a bias towards data-driven action and has led the Guided Pathways efforts framework to create a thriving educational ecosystem for concurrent, transfer, and career and technical students.

Prior to her 17 years in higher education, McKnight-Tutein worked at several Fortune 500 companies leading teams all over the world. McKnight-Tutein brings her corporate experiences to bear when partnering with organizations to build employment connections for students and when talking to students about their career aspirations. She believes in the power of career mentoring, and succession planning. While she always hopes to have a positive effect on employees’ lives, she is ever aware of the impact they have on her own life.

McKnight-Tutein has served on AACC’s Commission on Student Success, Colorado Department of Higher Education’s General Education Council, and the Colorado Community College System’s VP Council. She is the recipient of several awards, including the 2022 Bernice Joseph Leadership Award.

Dr. G, a Caribbean immigrant, is a first-generation high school and college graduate. She earned an associate degree from the College of Boca Raton, a bachelor’s in psychology from Florida International University, a master’s in human resources development administration from Barry University, and a doctorate in instructional technology and distance education from Nova Southeastern University.