Executive Director to Lead Washington's Community and Technical College System

Jack Hershey

Jack Hershey is the former President and CEO of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, which represents the presidents and trustees of Ohio’s 23 community colleges. During his tenure, Jack led statewide advocacy efforts that secured historic operating and capital funding increases, expanded dual enrollment opportunities to more than 75,000 students annually, and established new transfer pathways, short-term certificate programs, and community college bachelor's degree programs. His leadership helped drive a 200% increase in graduation rates through numerous innovative student success initiatives.

Prior to his work with the association, Jack served as Associate Vice President for State Relations at The Ohio State University, where he managed state government affairs and played a leading role in developing unified higher education funding models adopted by all of Ohio’s public universities and community colleges. Earlier in his career, he held key public finance roles, including Deputy Director of the Ohio Office of Budget and Management and Director of Finance for the Ohio House of Representatives.

A Cleveland-area native, Jack earned his bachelor's degree in Public Policy Management from the University of Akron and recently completed his master’s degree in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University. He and his family reside in the Columbus area.