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The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is proud to announce Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, MCCCD Chancellor, has been named the 2023 “Export Champion of the Year” by City of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. The prestigious award is presented to business and community leaders who have made significant contributions to promoting global trade for the Phoenix economy.
"I am both honored and humbled by Mayor Gallego's decision to present me with this award," said MCCCD Chancellor Dr. Steven R. Gonzales. "I accept this recognition on behalf of the nearly 12,000 faculty, staff, and administrators who dedicate their work to improving the lives of our community through higher education.”
Dr. Gonzales was honored during the annual Global Links Business luncheon hosted by Mayor Gallego and Phoenix Sister Cities, an organization that fosters relationships with municipalities around the world. Mayor Gallego praised Dr. Gonzales for the success of “Route to Relief,” a partnership between the System and the City of Phoenix that utilizes the City’s federal pandemic relief dollars to provide free tuition, monthly stipends, and employment assistance to eligible city residents. Since the program's launch, over 400 students have been enrolled at one of the System’s ten colleges.
“No one is more deserving of the Export Champion Award this year than Dr. Steven Gonzales. As the Valley continues breaking records of exponential growth, shaping and nurturing the workforce of the future isn’t easy — but it is growing more important every day, especially as we work to become a major semiconductor manufacturing hub. Dr. Gonzales and I share our vision of a community where an economy in which great jobs are just a training or a course away, and I am grateful that he is at the helm of the Maricopa County Community College District,” said Mayor Gallego.
In addition, Mayor Gallego recognized Dr. Gonzales for his steadfast commitment to preparing Arizona’s growing workforce for high-demand jobs in industries like aerospace, allied health, manufacturing, construction trades, and information technology.
“As the largest provider of workforce training in the state, MCCCD acts as a driving force for regional alignment, connecting our students to the skills needed to support the growing region’s economic prosperity,” said Dr. Gonzales. “It has been a privilege to work alongside Mayor Gallego to further strengthen our current offerings and build new learning experiences to ensure our students remain competitive in today’s modern labor market.”
Under Chancellor Gonzales’ leadership, MCCCD has launched a number of innovative workforce training initiatives, including the Semiconductor Technician Quick Start, the first-of-its-kind Artificial Intelligence degree and certificate program, and the state-of-the-art Microsoft Datacenter Academy.