Christopher Howerton

Christopher J. Howerton is a tenured professor of Communication Studies at Woodland Community College, where he has taught since 2007. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Communication Arts from the University of Memphis, a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from CSU Chico, and an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Higher Education and Adult Learning. His graduate research focused on best practices in faculty leadership training, which continues to shape his teaching and mentoring of future leaders.

At WCC, Christopher helped build the Communication Studies program into a full transfer degree pathway and remains dedicated to creating opportunities for students to grow as confident speakers, critical thinkers, and engaged community members. His campus leadership has included two terms as Academic Senate President, more than a decade as Student Learning Outcomes Coordinator, and service as co-chair of the Planning and Institutional Effectiveness Committee. He has also contributed to numerous governance and district-level committees, including curriculum, staffing, accreditation, and technology. Christopher has additionally served on six ACCJC accreditation peer review teams for colleges across California, and was appointed to numerous Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI) teams supporting quality improvements as well as bringing systemwide perspectives back to his local work. Prior to joining the WCC family, Christopher taught for Butte College, and CSU, Chico. While at Chico he served as Director of Forensics (Speech and Debate) and led a nationally award-winning team and coordinated many tabulation rooms for intercollegiate speech competitions.

Beyond WCC, Christopher is in his sixth year serving on the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC), where he represents faculty statewide. My formal assignments in this role change yearly. This year I've been asked to lead the organization's efforts to improve our communication processes and develop a multi-tiered communication plan as the inaugural chair for their Communications Committee.  Last year I had the honor of serving at the ASCCC Foundation President, chairing the Educational Policies Committee and serving as a co-chair for the Data and Research Committee and co-chair for the ASCCC Curriculum Committee as well as numerous other state-wide groups. 

He has previously chaired or contributed to many statewide standing committees, including Standards and Practices, Accreditation, Career Technical Education Leadership, Relations with Local Senates, Legislative and Advocacy, and the Faculty Leadership Development Committee. He also led the 2022–23 Faculty Empowerment Leadership Academy and has participated in Chancellor’s Office workgroups and taskforces focused on areas such as accreditation, online/distance education, governance, and AI professional development.

Across all of these roles, Christopher’s work is guided by a commitment to equity, collaboration, and the belief that education should empower students to shape their own futures.

When not teaching or working on senate initiatives, Christopher enjoys gardening, making stained glass, and spending time with his husband and their two cats, Horatio and Duncan.

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