MBA Graduate Wins “40 Under 40” Award

Ja’Bette Lozupone, an alumna of Hood’s MBA program and undergraduate communications program, has been honored by the American Association for Women in Community Colleges with the “40 Under 40” award! The award is presented to 40 up-and-coming women under the age of 40, who work in community colleges across the nation. The honorees demonstrate high potential for success in leadership roles and a strong commitment to the mission of community colleges. She was recognized for her contributions to the College and to the community and one who will represent the next generation of community college leadership.

Lozupone is Director of Montgomery College’s “Achieving the Promise” Initiatives and oversees the Achieving the Promise Academy. The ATPA is a multifaceted endeavor with the goal of increasing the retention, persistence, graduation, and completion rates of “at-promise” students, especially African-American and Latino students. The mission of ATPA is to prepare students for success in college through academic coaching, tutoring, and the creation of Learning Success Cohort Communities. She is also a member, and the former president of the Montgomery College Rising Professionals Association (MCRPA).

A fierce advocate for education, Lozupone experienced firsthand the barriers to degree completion many students encounter during their academic career. She says “I credit my persistence to coaches and mentors at Hood such as Olivia White, vice president and dean of students, and the extraordinary support, encouragement, and advocacy of the faculty and staff at Hood.”