2025 District 7 Pacesetter
Dr. Jane Karas
President
Flathead Valley Community College
Kalispell, MT
How has Dr. Karas advanced Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC)? Under her leadership, the college now offers 114 degrees, certificates and licensures. Programs in nursing, health care, trades, business, culinary arts, music and more have been added to meet student and community needs. To support this growth, the campus has expanded from four buildings to 12, including modern nursing, health science and library facilities, on-campus student housing, and the multipurpose state-of-the-art Wachholz College Center. Dr. Karas has also led four capital campaigns that raised more than $50 million, including about $25 million in private funds for the Wachholz Center.
How has Dr. Karas advanced community colleges regionally and nationally? Dr. Karas chairs the American Association of Community Colleges’ board of directors and is a long-standing member of the Association of Community College Trustees, where she has shared best practices and mentored emerging leaders. She spearheaded FVCC’s participation in the Achieving the Dream initiative, bringing data-driven strategies for student success to the campus while connecting FVCC to a national network of innovation.
How has Dr. Karas shown understanding of marcom and PR principles? In 2023 she led a major reorganization of FVCC’s marketing strategy by recruiting a seasoned media and marketing professional from HGTV Warner Bros. Discovery, shifting from a traditional PR approach to a content-marketing model that integrates social media channels, elevates student stories, and reinforces the college’s connection with the community. She constantly promotes FVCC and forges connections that amplify the college’s presence. Her steady advocacy in the state Capitol and her ability to keep FVCC in the public eye through consistent coverage in regional media outlets demonstrate sound PR principles in action.