Professional Bio
Michael A. Baston, J.D., Ed.D., leads Tri-C with a clear mission: To turn potential into progress and ensure every student — regardless of background — has the tools to build a better life. As president of Ohio's oldest and largest community college, serving nearly 40,000 students annually, Baston has delivered results that resonate beyond the classroom and into the fabric of Northeast Ohio.
A national leader who helps develop comprehensive supports that foster college completion, Dr. Baston’s work has been featured on MSNBC, and in The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Atlantic, The Community College Times, and Black Enterprise Magazine. Additionally, he’s a contributing author to Race, Education, and Reintegrating Formerly Incarcerated Citizens and The Handbook for Student Affairs in Community Colleges.
Recognized Leader, Relentless Advocate
Baston has been honored by Crain's Cleveland Business, the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, among others. In 2025, he was named Entrepreneurial President of the Year by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE).
But his true reward is impact. When students succeed, communities grow. That is the future Baston is working to build — one student, one credential and one opportunity at a time.
Learn more here: https://www.tri-c.edu/administrative-departments/office-of-the-president.html
A national leader who helps develop comprehensive supports that foster college completion, Dr. Baston’s work has been featured on MSNBC, and in The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Atlantic, The Community College Times, and Black Enterprise Magazine. Additionally, he’s a contributing author to Race, Education, and Reintegrating Formerly Incarcerated Citizens and The Handbook for Student Affairs in Community Colleges.
Recognized Leader, Relentless Advocate
Baston has been honored by Crain's Cleveland Business, the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, among others. In 2025, he was named Entrepreneurial President of the Year by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE).
But his true reward is impact. When students succeed, communities grow. That is the future Baston is working to build — one student, one credential and one opportunity at a time.
Learn more here: https://www.tri-c.edu/administrative-departments/office-of-the-president.html
Organization
Cuyahoga Community College
11000 Pleasant Valley Road
Cuyahoga Community College
Parma, OH 44130
United States https://www.tri-c.edu/
Organization