Duane Oakes has been with MCC since 2000, and is Faculty Director for the Center for Community & Civic Engagement. He’s also been advisor to MCC’s award-winning Phi Theta Kappa student scholars organization, one of the nation’s largest. He has won numerous awards for his leadership roles in student life, Phi Theta Kappa, and service learning, and he was previously director of student leadership at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

Duane Oakes’ passion for helping students achieve success is what sets him apart. Colleagues rave about his department, his staff calls their operation a well-oiled machine because of Duane, and students, past and present, know his kindness and generosity of spirit. His commitment to the ideals of service learning, community service and scholarship are strong, but no stronger than his dedication to instilling those ideals in the students he serves. In this, Duane never wavers: students come first.

Duane graduated from MCC in 1986 with an Associate degree, and has Bachelors and Masters degrees from Brigham Young University. He has made numerous presentations nationally on Service Learning, and won college and district Innovation of the Year awards for developing the Service Learning program during his time at CGCC. He won the Arizona Governor’s Volunteer Service Award in 2004. Because of Duane’s efforts, MCC has been named to the U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll since 2006 and recently achieved the coveted Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.