“Sit at the table. Don’t wait to be invited.”
It’s a simple piece of advice, but one that has guided Dr. Jo Alice Blondin throughout a distinguished career spanning more than three decades in higher education. It’s advice she shares often with aspiring leaders, especially women, because she believes leadership begins with having the confidence to contribute before someone gives you permission.
Today, as President of Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE), Dr. Blondin brings with her an extraordinary record of leadership. Over the course of her career, she has served as a professor, department chair, chief academic officer, chief student officer, chancellor, and college president. Most recently, she spent 13 years leading Clark State College in Ohio, where her vision transformed the institution through strategic growth, workforce partnerships, student success initiatives, raised the Clark State Foundation from $13 Million to nearly $35 million and led in more than $40 million in campus and technology investments.
While her leadership earned national recognition in Ohio, Arkansas has always been home. Earlier in her career, Dr. Blondin served as Chancellor of Arkansas Tech University–Ozark Campus, where she championed workforce education, expanded access to higher education, and strengthened partnerships with business and industry throughout the Arkansas River Valley. Returning to Arkansas to lead ACHE represents an opportunity to invest once again in the state.
If you ask Dr. Blondin what matters most, she won’t begin with awards or titles. She’ll talk about people. She believes great leaders remain calm when others are not. “Don’t overreact to bad news,” she advises. “You’re going to be part of the solution.”
That mindset has helped her lead institutions through periods of growth and challenge alike. Rather than reacting emotionally, she believes leaders create confidence by listening, assessing, and moving people toward solutions.
Another lesson she carries with her is equally powerful: don’t confuse who you are with the job you do.
Leadership positions come and go, she says, but character, integrity, and purpose remain. Separating personal identity from professional title allows leaders to make difficult decisions with humility while remembering that leadership is ultimately about serving others.
Those who know Dr. Blondin quickly discover that her influence isn’t rooted in authority; it’s rooted in authenticity. She leads by investing in people and helping others recognize their own potential.
Her résumé tells the story of an accomplished educator and nationally respected higher education leader. Her legacy, however, will be found in the countless people she has encouraged to pull up a chair, take a seat at the table, and lead.