Awards

College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Young Alumni Award - 2012

About Kathleen Plinske

Plinske serves as the president of the Osceola and Lake Nona campuses at Valencia Community College. Recently named as the best community college in the nation, Valencia serves nearly 60,000 students each year in the greater Orlando area. Before joining Valencia in 2010, Plinske served as vice president and interim president at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Ill.

Actively involved in her community, Plinske is the president elect of the Rotary Club of Lake Nona and serves on many local boards, including the Education Foundation and Junior Achievement of Osceola County, the Osceola Center for the Arts and the Lake Nona Education Council. Plinske attended IU Bloomington as a Herman B Wells Scholar, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and physics with highest distinction and honors. She completed a Master of Arts in Spanish from Roosevelt University and a Doctorate in Educational Technology with honors from Pepperdine University, and she will complete a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida in December 2012. She was recently recognized as one of 24 emerging leaders in the world by Phi Delta Kappa International.