Brad Henderson knows community colleges can change lives. After all, attending one changed his.
Fresh out of high school, Henderson felt stuck in a job he didn’t like. He was unsure of what he wanted to do, but never really thought college was for him. Hungry for change, he enrolled in a local community college. He took some classes. “This isn’t so bad,” he remembers thinking. “I can do this.” So he took a couple more.
Henderson went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in communications from Missouri Southern State University and a master’s in communications from Pittsburg State University. And now, many moons later, Henderson is Allen’s new Director of Public Relations and Marketing Communications. His first day on the job was July 14.
He approaches the role with a distinct motivation.
“Community colleges like Allen offer a chance for students to reach for bigger and better things,” said Henderson. “They offer an opportunity to grow, explore and find yourself. Offering that is important to me, on both a personal and professional level.”
HENDERSON arrives at Allen after spending the last seven years as the executive director of marketing and communication at State Fair Community College, an institution about twice the size of Allen in Sedalia, Mo. Before that, he held a similar role at Independence Community College.
Originally from Stockton, Mo., Henderson relishes the opportunity to be “on the ground floor” of what he sees as exciting changes at Allen. His very position is something new. “Until now, the job had always been a shared responsibility in Allen’s admissions department,” he noted. “It’s exciting to have the opportunity to build a team that helps the college spread its message and share its impact.”
Henderson best understands Allen’s role in the community as one point of a triangle. “Think of the other points as the larger community and its local workforce,” he said. “When everything’s clicking in place, training and credential programs from the college improve the local workforce. In turn, that strengthens area businesses, which then allows the larger community to flourish.”
No matter how small the community college, or the town it’s located in, Henderson says the college and its larger community “need to have a symbiotic relationship.”
“There’s so much we can do if we can attract more partnerships,” he insists. “Businesses, civic groups, media, all of that is part of the community’s success, not just Allen’s.”
Henderson knows he’ll be busy. He sees Allen’s stakeholders as a variety of diverse audiences. First, he seeks to communicate with students and their parents, both prospective and current. He plans on engaging alumni and deepening their relationships to campus.
“Community members also have a right to know, be heard, and be represented,” Henderson said. And in addition to college staff, local media, and local organizations, he intends to engage with areas outside Allen’s immediate service area, including Topeka.
Still, Henderson’s mission anchors him in the work.
“I’m a product of community colleges,” he said. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, either. Kids don’t always get that orientation in some high schools.”
Henderson believes that’s where Allen comes in. Where he comes in. Henderson wants people to understand just how much Allen does for its students and the larger community. He hopes people can envision how that impact can grow by working together.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for me to come home back to southeast Kansas,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to change lives.”
