Arizona Western College names first female, first person of color president

Arizona Western College’s new president stepped into office with a mandate that reaches far beyond campus symbolism. Dr. Reetika Dhawan became the college’s 10th president, and the first woman, first person of color and first immigrant to lead AWC, an institution that serves more than 11,000 students annually across 12 locations in Yuma and La Paz counties.

Her arrival came after a months-long transition at one of Yuma County’s most important education and workforce institutions. President Daniel Corr announced in October that he would retire in July 2026 after 10 years as president and more than three decades in community college education. The AWC District Governing Board selected Dhawan on December 11, 2025, after first naming her the sole preferred candidate and holding candidate forums and public town halls in November.

For local families and employers, the stakes are practical. AWC says its mission is to expand educational opportunity, workforce excellence and economic mobility, and the college offers more than 170 degrees and certificates. It also provides non-credit professional development, customized training and personal enrichment, along with access to Arizona’s three state universities on the Yuma campus, making the presidency central to transfer pathways as well as career preparation.

Dhawan’s background fits that workforce emphasis. She began her career in 2001 as a math and physics instructor in India, later came to the United States and joined AWC in 2008 as an adjunct instructor. Over nearly two decades at the college, she rose through leadership roles that included dean of Career and Technical Education, vice president of Workforce Development and CTE, CEO of the Entrepreneurial College and vice president of Workforce and Healthcare Programs.

Those roles matter in a county where higher education, job training and local hiring are tightly linked. The college launched the Entrepreneurial College in 2023 to connect students with in-demand jobs and employer needs, and AWC leaders have said Dhawan brings both institutional knowledge and a strategic vision for student success and regional economic growth.

AWC says it operates across more than 10,000 square miles, the largest geographic district in Arizona. Its 2024-25 enrollment stood at 8,964 students, including 5,378 women and 3,586 men, underscoring the reach of the college’s decisions in a region where access to training, credentials and transfer opportunities can shape family income for years.

Dhawan also arrives with outside recognition that adds weight to her appointment. She was selected for the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program’s Rising Presidents Fellowship in 2024, was a finalist for the Broadband Nation Award that same year and received the IDIA Community Champion Award in 2025. For AWC, her presidency signals continuity in mission and a sharper focus on the pathways that connect Yuma County students to jobs, universities and long-term mobility.