Richard J. Daniel, Ph.D.
Richard Daniel, Ph.D., was appointed President of Mesa Community College, the largest of the 10 colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), effective July 1, 2024.
From November 2022 through June 2024, Dr. Daniel was President of South Mountain Community College (SMCC), one of the most diverse colleges in MCCCD.
During his 20-month tenure there, SMCC saw a historic 30 percent surge in enrollment of new students. This enrollment growth was supported by Dr. Daniel's efforts to embed advisors at each SMCC feeder high school; intentional outreach to charter and alternative high schools; and summer and STEM camps that introduced high school students to the college experience. In addition, Dr. Daniel led a comprehensive organizational assessment of the campus community, which resulted in a campus-wide agreement to put student success at the center of everything SMCC does. In addition, Dr. Daniel permanently filled key faculty and staff positions, including all three executive leadership positions: Vice President of Academic Affairs, Vice President of Administrative Services, and Vice President of Student Affairs. Dr. Daniel also reinvigorated meaningful engagement with the SMCC community, building business, donor, and nonprofit partnerships.
Before serving as president at SMCC, Dr. Daniel was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Education Forward Arizona, where his responsibilities included identifying partnership and fundraising opportunities for organizational growth and impact; developing and executing strategic operational and program planning; and ensuring that programmatic and operational/administrative budgets aligned with organizational priorities. Dr. Daniel also led fundraising efforts for Education Forward Arizona. In 2021, he helped secure $8.5 million from foundations, corporations, federal and state grants, and tribal communities; in 2022, his efforts secured approximately $16 million in multi-year funding.
Before that, Dr. Daniel was executive vice president and chief operating officer at College Success Arizona, where he worked to bring transformative opportunities of higher education to students from underserved and underrepresented communities across the state.
During his more than thirty-year career, Dr. Daniel has held a variety of senior leadership positions at public research universities and community colleges.
Dr. Daniel held a number of administrative positions in the areas of institutional advancement, student affairs, and academic affairs at Arizona State University over a span of 15 years. He was Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Saint Michael's College. In that role, he secured $3.4 million in annual fundraising and successfully reorganized the Office of Institutional Advancement to align fundraising efforts to strategic direction. He was Associate Vice President for University Advancement and Special Projects and Executive Director for Alumni Relations at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). In this role, he was a leader in the development and implementation of a comprehensive fundraising campaign, which secured $226 million for UTEP in 2014.
Throughout his career, Dr. Daniel has advocated tirelessly for expanding access to educational opportunities that empower individuals, families, and communities. Driven by the guiding principle of servant-leadership, Dr. Daniel has, throughout his career, prioritized developing and supporting teams that maximize individual and organizational strengths for the benefit of those they serve.
Dr. Daniel has led several projects aimed at applying research to drive action. He was the lead author of Prioritizing Access and Opportunity: How Community Colleges Contribute to Increased Attainment and Economic Growth in Arizona. This policy brief led to the creation of the Arizona Postsecondary Student Resiliency Fund, which provided funds for students facing financial barriers and resource gaps as a result of the pandemic. The fund awarded $500,000 to 1,200 students statewide over the course of 16 weeks; more than 250 of those students attended Maricopa Community Colleges. Dr. Daniel's efforts to develop and apply research to systemic improvements led to the creation of AdviseAZ AmeriCorps, which places near-peer advisors in high schools to work alongside counselors to help students navigate the complex process of pursuing a postsecondary education.
Dr. Daniel is frequently asked to speak to media and to present at local, state, and national conferences on topics ranging from strategic planning, fundraising, and board development to college and workforce readiness. As a first-generation Latino college student, Dr. Daniel has experienced firsthand the transformative power of higher education. Born in the mining community of Superior, Arizona, he earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, a master's degree in Higher Education Administration, and a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science from Arizona State University.
Dr. Daniel and his wife, Rebecca, reside in Chandler, where they are actively involved in supporting the community.