Houston City College (HCC) recognized HCC NW President Zachary Hodges as he marked a milestone 50 years of dedication, leadership, and service to the college system and the Greater Houston community, including 31 years as president of HCC Northwest. The celebration took place on September 4 at the West Houston Institute, 2811 Hayes Road in Houston.

Hodges began his career with HCC in 1976 as the institution’s very first campus-based counselor. During the past five decades -- 31 of which he has spent leading Northwest College—his visionary guidance helped shape HCC from its early formative years into a nationally recognized higher education institution. Under his more than three decades of presidential leadership, Hodges spearheaded key expansion initiatives across Katy, Spring Branch, and Alief, significantly broadening access to higher education and workforce development.

Key achievements of Hodges’ 50-year tenure include:

· 31 years of Presidential leadership: Serving three decades at the helm of HCC Northwest, guiding the region through exponential student growth and infrastructure expansion.

· Campus and regional expansion: Leading the development and growth of major regional facilities, including the state-of-the-art Katy Campus on Colonial Parkway, as well as the Alief Campus and the West Houston Institute.

· Academic and workforce pathways: Establishing seamless four-year degree transfer opportunities through strategic engineering academies with Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Tyler, and the University of Houston.

· Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Championing small-business growth by helping launch the HCC Business Plan Competition with Newspring and starting the HCC Center for Entrepreneurship and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.

· National recognition: Earning honors as the Entrepreneurial President of the Year by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) and being named a finalist for Chief Executive Officer of the Year by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Reflecting on his half-century at HCC, Hodges credits the surrounding team and community partners: "It has been the honor of my life to serve our students and help build pathways for their success during these past 50 years. Everything we've built—from local workforce partnerships to world-class transfer programs—is a testament to the dedicated faculty, staff, and community leaders who work together every day." For more information about Houston City College Northwest and its programs, visit hccs.edu/northwest.