Dr. Curtis L. Ivery, Wayne County Community College District Chancellor, to Receive 2026 Civil Rights and Social Justice Award

DETROIT, MI — June 10, 2026 – Dr. Curtis L. Ivery, Chancellor of Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD), will be honored as the recipient of the 2026 Civil Rights and Social Justice Award by the Florida-based National Education and Empowerment Coalition on Thursday, June 18, 2026, during its 15th Annual National Civil Rights Conference. The conference will be held June 18–20, 2026, at the Curtis L. Ivery Downtown Campus of Wayne County Community College District, located at 1001 West Fort Street in Detroit.

The Annual Award for Civil Rights and Social Justice recognizes innovators, scholars, activists, educators, individuals, and organizations whose body of work and personal example promote human dignity, civil and economic rights, and social justice. Ivery is being recognized for his distinguished leadership in higher education and his decades-long commitment to expanding educational opportunities, advancing equity, and championing economic mobility for underserved communities. Under his transformational leadership, WCCCD has emerged as a national model for educational access, workforce development, and community empowerment.

“I am humbled by this recognition from the National Education and Empowerment Coalition, and I accept it not as an individual honor, but as a testament to the collective commitment of an extraordinary leadership team, a visionary Board of Trustees, and the resilient communities we are privileged to serve across Wayne County,” said Ivery. “Together, we have worked to prove — day after day, student after student — that a community college can be far more than an institution of learning. It can be an engine of transformation, a symbol of hope, and a powerful instrument of equity and economic mobility. I am proud of what we have accomplished, and I am even more inspired by what lies ahead."

Ivery is a national thought leader, author, equity advocate, and force for change in higher education in southeast Michigan. He led the transformation of WCCCD into a thriving, six-campus, dynamic college district with more than 60,000 credit and non-credit students annually.

Continuing a lifelong career as an advocate for educational equity, Ivery has assembled academic, community, business, religious and government leaders at the table across a series of roundtables, think tanks and urban summits to develop real-world strategies to expand educational equity and economic mobility in our region, and throughout the nation.

Ivery serves on numerous local, state, and national organizations and boards, including the prestigious American Association of Community Colleges and the Commission on Economic and Workforce Development.

The award presentation will take place during a conference that brings together civil rights leaders, college presidents and faculty, policymakers, faith leaders, scholars, and advocates from across the nation — gathering on the very campus on Juneteenth that bears Chancellor Ivery’s name.

The 15th Annual National Civil Rights Conference continues the coalition’s tradition of convening national voices around the most pressing issues facing American democracy and civil society. The 2025 conference was held at Fisk University.

About Wayne County Community College District  
WCCCD, one of the largest urban-suburban community colleges in Michigan, is a multi-campus district with six campus locations and educational centers, including the Mary Ellen Stempfle University Center, the Heinz C. Prechter Educational and Performing Arts Center, the Michigan Institute for Public Safety Education (MIPSE), the Curtis L. Ivery Health and Wellness Education Center,and the Outdoor Careers Training Center.  The District serves students across 32 cities and townships, and more than 500 square miles. WCCCD is committed to the continued development of innovative programs, workforce transformation, hosting community-based training sessions, and improving student facilities and services. www.wcccd.edu.