Ohio Association of Community Colleges

What Ohio Association of Community Colleges does

Ohio Association of Community Colleges (OACC) is a Columbus, Ohio-based non-profit membership association that serves as the unified advocacy and policy voice for the state's 22 (now 23) public community colleges. Founded in 1993, OACC represents more than 200,000 community college students statewide and supports member institutions through policy advocacy before the Ohio legislature and Department of Higher Education, workforce development coordination, professional development for faculty and staff, and data/research services. OACC's core programs include the Success Center for Ohio Community Colleges (a first-in-the-nation student-success reform network launched in 2012), the Ohio Workforce League (a statewide workforce coordination team), the Ohio Semiconductor Collaboration Network, the Workforce Outcomes Dashboard, the annual Student Success Leadership Institute, the Leadership Academy for Student Success, and the All-Ohio Academic Team recognition program. OACC's technology footprint is limited to the Workforce Outcomes Dashboard and standard association management/communication platforms; it is not a technology company. Revenue is generated through membership dues from all 22 member colleges, philanthropic grants from foundations including Ascendium Education Group, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation, advocacy-driven state budget support, and event sponsorship from partners such as Honda, KeyBank, and Franklin University. The association operates with a small professional staff of 1-10 employees led by President and CEO Avi Zaffini (appointed July 2024), with senior leadership including Vice President of Operations and Student Success Laura Rittner, Chief Academic Officer Rick Woodfield, Senior Director of Workforce Partnerships Crystal Jones, and Senior Director of Government Relations Katelyn Bowling.

Name

Ohio Association of Community Colleges

Legal name

Ohio Association of Community Colleges

Website

https://ohiocommunitycolleges.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ohio Association of Community Colleges is a Columbus-based non-profit membership association providing policy advocacy, workforce coordination, professional development, and student-success programs for all 22 (now 23) Ohio public community colleges serving 200,000+ students statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: OACC receives support from its 22 member community colleges through membership contributions that fund advocacy, professional development, and statewide initiatives.
2. Foundation and Grant Funding: OACC receives grant funding from organizations including Ascendium Education Group, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Joyce Foundation to support the Success Center for Ohio Community Colleges and student success initiatives.
3. State Funding Support: The association works with state government to secure capital budget investments and operational funding for Ohio's community colleges through policy advocacy.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OACC is a nonprofit membership association that represents Ohio's 22 community colleges, providing collective policy advocacy before state government, professional development for college leaders and staff, workforce development coordination with employers, and student success initiatives including the Success Center, Workforce Outcomes Dashboard, and statewide recognition programs.

Product overview

The Ohio Association of Community Colleges (OACC) is an association organization (not a technology product company) that provides advocacy, coordination, and professional development services to Ohio's 22 community colleges. The organization operates several core programs including the Success Center for Ohio Community Colleges (a first-in-the-nation initiative launched in 2012), the Workforce Outcomes Dashboard for tracking student and employment data, the annual Student Success Leadership Institute, the Leadership Academy for Student Success, the All-Ohio Academic Team recognition program, and various grant projects such as OH-MI: Pathways Together. These programs work together to advance student success, workforce development, and institutional effectiveness across Ohio's community college system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Success Center for Ohio Community Colleges A statewide hub launched in 2012 that develops and coordinates student success strategies including guided pathways implementation, leadership development, and equity gap closure across all of Ohio's community colleges.
• Workforce Outcomes Dashboard

Quantifiable outcome

• 200% increase in graduation rates since Success Center launch in 2012
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Phi Theta KappacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational honor society collaboration for the All-Ohio Academic Team program, recognizing excellence in academics, leadership, and community service among community college students.
• HondaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary event sponsor for All-Ohio Academic Team recognition program, supporting scholarships for top community college students.
• KeyBankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for All-Ohio Academic Team program, supporting recognition and scholarships for high-achieving community college students.
• Franklin UniversitycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for All-Ohio Academic Team, offering full-tuition scholarships to top honorees for online bachelor's degree completion.
• Achieving the Dream (ATD)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network partner providing coaches, advisors, and reform methodology. Ohio colleges participate in ATD's Leader College designation program.
• Community College Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership providing evidence-based practices and professional development support for Ohio college student success reforms.
• The Aspen InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership leveraging Aspen College Excellence Program resources, including guided pathways methodology and the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
• Jobs for the FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization managing Student Success Center Network that OACC's Success Center participates in, providing scaling support for proven student success practices.
• National Center for Inquiry and ImprovementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting Ohio colleges with professional development opportunities and student success reform scaling.
• Association of College and University Educators (ACUE)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing faculty professional development through ACUE's Effective Online Teaching Practices course, with 168 faculty participating. Three Ohio colleges joined a national Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded study on evidence-based teaching in gateway courses.
• Ohio Hospital AssociationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of 2019 Workforce Summit to address healthcare staffing shortages. Collaboration on healthcare workforce training, clinical rotations, and apprenticeship programs including LeadingAge Ohio partnership at Lorain County Community College.
• LeadingAge OhiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Lorain County Community College for State Tested Nursing Assistant apprenticeship, representing 400 long-term care organizations. Model being replicated across other Ohio colleges.
• Ohio Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged as part of OACC's employer outreach effort to understand workforce shortages and develop policy solutions addressing talent gaps.
• Ohio Manufacturers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to increase apprenticeship opportunities addressing manufacturing workforce shortage and skills gap across Ohio's 23 community colleges.
• Ohio Realtors AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership exploring curriculum development to build workforce aligned with real estate industry needs.
• NFIB-OhiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall business advocacy organization engaged to understand workforce challenges facing small businesses across Ohio.
• Ohio Semiconductor Collaboration NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOACC Senior Director Crystal Jones serves as director, coordinating semiconductor workforce training initiatives across Ohio community colleges.
• Ohio Workforce LeagueflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide workforce team created by OACC with representation from all 23 community colleges, working with statewide business organizations and state leaders to address workforce challenges and develop innovative solutions.
• Clark State CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrystal Jones previously served as VP of Marketing, Diversity, and Community Impact before joining OACC. College continues partnership through workforce initiatives.
• ApprenticeOhiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOACC and Ohio Department of Higher Education developed statewide curriculum agreements with ApprenticeOhio-approved trade apprenticeship programs across 23 community colleges through the Ohio College Apprenticeship Consortium.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theoacc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ohio Association of Community Colleges