Former LCC President To Deliver Commencement Address
Paula Cunningham, the former president of Lansing Community College and the current president and chief executive officer of Capitol National Bank in Lansing, will deliver the 2009 Alma College commencement address.
Cunningham also will receive an honorary doctor of letters degree during the ceremony for 260 graduation candidates.
Commencement takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 18 in Cappaert Gymnasium in the Hogan Center. A baccalaureate service precedes graduation at 10:30 a.m. in Dunning Memorial Chapel.
Paula Cunningham
“Paula Cunningham is a talented and dynamic leader with extensive executive experience in the private sector as well as higher education,” says Alma College President Saundra Tracy. “Her keen understanding of the environment that our graduates enter makes her an excellent speaker for this year's commencement.”
As president of Capitol National Bank, Cunningham leads the flagship bank of Capitol Bancorp Limited, a $5.7 billion community bank development company with operations in 17 states.
She joined Capitol National Bank in 2006 after a 25-year affiliation with Lansing Community College. There she first served as an associate professor of management and marketing, receiving the Distinguished Faculty Award from her campus peers and recognition as a Master Teacher by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development.
She eventually assumed a range of administrative roles, including stints as LCC’s director of professional development; executive director of marketing, community and board relations; and vice president for planning and college relations.
In 2000, she was appointed president of LCC. Her six years in that role were a period of significant growth for the institution, including the construction of four new academic facilities and a successful campaign for supplemental community millage support.
Cunningham also has extensive experience as a keynote speaker, and for six years hosted a weekly talk radio show. She has received multiple awards for community service, including outstanding citizen recognitions from the Lansing State Journal, the Commission on Spanish Speaking Affairs, and the YMCA. She has served as both the Capitol Area United Way Campaign chair and the board chair. In addition, she has served on numerous national, state and regional educational, governmental and on-profit advisory boards.
She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in labor/industrial relations from Michigan State University.
Posted: Wed, April 8th, 2009 at 9:35AM
