CMC Board of Trustees appoints Dr. Matt Gianneschi as the college’s next president and chief executive officer

April 29, 2024 – The Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees has formally appointed Dr. Matt Gianneschi as the college’s next president and chief executive officer. Gianneschi has served as the college’s chief operating officer and chief of staff for more than 10 years alongside outgoing president Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, who announced that she will step down from her position this August after nearly 11 years in the role.

Gianneschi was named as the board’s sole finalist for the position during a board meeting April 15 after trustees concluded an internal search for applicants and reviewed more than 400 survey results in English and Spanish from community members, students, faculty, staff and alumni. Trustees made it official in a board meeting today, with Matt surrounded by cheering colleagues.

“We couldn’t be more confident in Dr. Gianneschi’s passion for our students, faculty, staff and mission, and in the leadership that he has already shown during a decade at CMC,” said CMC Board of Trustees President Peg Portscheller. “Colorado Mountain College is poised to continue its positive trajectory with Matt’s vision and the new strategic plan that he helped craft for the college.”

Trustees noted Gianneschi’s deliberate contributions to doubling the number of students at CMC who identify as Hispanic or Latino, expanding high school concurrent enrollment opportunities and authoring legislation and policies enabling the college to launch programs like Fund Sueños, which supports DACA and undocumented students. They also praised his work to stabilize funding for CMC and invest in affordable housing for students and college employees.

Gianneschi grew up in Denver, graduated from Manual High School and the University of Denver, and earned a master’s degree in history at DU and a Ph.D. in higher education at the University of Arizona. He was part of the inaugural class of a presidential fellowship offered by the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program in collaboration with Stanford University. In 2011, Gianneschi was a recipient of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship from the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Gianneschi worked in education policy roles during the administrations of three Colorado governors, including as deputy executive director and chief academic officer of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. President Hauser hired Gianneschi to CMC in 2014.

“I am humbled by this opportunity to work alongside the talented faculty and staff at CMC, who care deeply about the college’s very diverse students, its unique mission and the communities that it serves,” Gianneschi said. “Every day, these individuals confidently address the college’s challenges and compassionately support the students striving for a better future. This is the true strength of CMC, and it is an incredible honor to be a part of this team.”

Gianneschi will officially become the college’s tenth president and chief executive officer on August 17. To ensure a smooth and seamless transition, President Hauser will work closely with Gianneschi between now and the start of the fall 2024 semester.

“Serving as CMC’s president and CEO has been deeply rewarding, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to recruit and work with such an amazing team of people who have worked together to make CMC the successful, stable, forward-thinking institution that it is today,” Hauser said. “Matt is exactly the right person to carry that momentum forward, and CMC will achieve great things under his leadership.”