In June, the ACCESS College Foundation in Norfolk, VA, honored its retiring CEO Bonnie Sutton (pictured above on the right) for a long and successful career dedicated to expanding postsecondary opportunity for students in South Hampton Roads and Northampton County. The National College Attainment Network's (NCAN) recently-retired Senior Director of Strategic Programming MorraLee Keller (pictured above on the left) attended and presented a resolution honoring Sutton from the NCAN Board of Directors.
Sutton began her career as an executive assistant with ACCESS when it was founded in 1988. She earned her bachelor's degree while working there and served as President and CEO for 25 years. During her tenure, ACCESS grew from assisting 307 students
to more than 23,000 students annually. ACCESS has now reaches 28 middle schools, 30 high schools, and 14 postsecondary campuses. Sutton developed a strong gift for fundraising, and the organization's endowment now exceeds $83 million. Under her
watch, ACCESS has been a leader among NCAN member programs with developing best practices, establishing on-campus student retention programs, maintaining a highly trained group of access advisors, implementing effective Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion strategies,
and providing more than $16 million in renewable last-dollar scholarships.
"ACCESS College Foundation was one of nine original founding members of NCAN, and throughout the years Bonnie has been a visionary for expanding college access and success support to more communities," NCAN CEO Kim Cook said, "Bonnie will talk with anyone
about how to start and develop a college access and success program, sharing strategies and resources. She has been a regular at the NCAN National Conference for almost 30 years and has been especially generous in sharing her fundraising expertise.
In the Hampton Roads region, Bonnie has been a tireless advocate for underserved students and families, and her collaborative approach has built an extraordinary community commitment to helping more students pursue education after high school," Cook said.
Along the way, Sutton also built a strong ACCESS team to carry on the work and continue to build on their years of accomplishments. We wish her a happy and healthy next phase of her journey!
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