Joining College of Western Idaho (CWI) in April 2019 as Provost, Denise Aberle-Cannata has been a leader in continuing to carry the College forward in transformative education, promoting campus diversity and inclusion, and using key technology and educational resources to encourage pioneering instructional methods. Committed to providing students with education and service at the highest quality level, Cannata believes CWI is and will continue to be the community college leader in delivering quality education and training in the state of Idaho. Serving more than 31,000 students, she has led forward-thinking campus initiatives at CWI on retention and student experience, expansion of business and industry partnerships for credit and non-credit programs, and new multi-learning modalities to support students’ needs in an ever-changing educational landscape.
Cannata holds a Master of Science in Education from University of North Dakota. Prior to CWI, Cannata served in several leadership roles at higher education institutions across Colorado, New Jersey, and North Dakota. Starting her higher education work in the community college sector at Bismark State College, she was a pioneer in creating online courses and degrees for the institution. As the first institution to launch energy degrees online, Cannata’s work resulted in several partnerships between the College and the energy sector designed to help replenish the workforce and establish the National Energy Center of Excellence.
Working in higher education for more than 20 years, Cannata has helped drive student excellence, institutional sustainability, and distance education initiatives with programs to meet institutions’ short- and long-term strategic visions. Her work is characterized by data-driven decision making, strength-based leadership, and development of dynamic, higher education programs and services that align with an institution’s mission, vision, values, and goals.