The Fort Lewis College Board of Trustees unanimously approved the appointment of Heather Shotton as the college’s next president after naming her as the only finalist last month.
Shotton, a citizen of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes and a descendant of the Kiowa and Cheyenne nations, will be FLC’s first Native American president, the college said in a news release Friday. She officially assumes office on July 1.
She previously served as FLC’s vice president of Diversity Affairs and as the acting dean of Student Engagement. FLC said Shotton oversaw more than 70 staff members. Before FLC recruited her, she worked as the chair of the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
FLC did not make Shotton available for an interview on Friday, saying she was busy with an event.
As board president of the National Indian Education Association, Shotton led national efforts to “strengthen educational outcomes for Indigenous communities,” FLC said. She earned the recognition of the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s Mildred Garcia Senior Scholar Award as well as NIEA’s Educator of the Year award.
At FLC, she led reconciliation efforts at the college, which was founded as an Indian boarding school in 1892.
“Reconciliation is key to FLC’s success as a college,” Shotton wrote in her application letter.
She said if FLC still operated as intended at its founding, she would not have had the opportunity to apply for the president position.
Shotton also helped expand FLC’s commitment to Latinx, Black, LGBTQIA2S+ and first-generation students, according to her cover letter.
When the FLC Board of Trustees named Shotton as the sole finalist in March, Janet Lopez, board chair, said Shotton was the top candidate in a highly competitive national search involving over 75 candidates.
She cited Shotton’s 20-year career at large universities and small liberal arts colleges, her national recognition for leadership in student success, and her alignment with FLC’s visions as elements that made her stand out from other candidates.
FLC credited Shotton as being instrumental in developing its 2025-30 strategic plan, which has a focus on student readiness and meeting students’ basic needs, reconciliation, community connections and academic excellence.
“I’m profoundly honored to lead Fort Lewis College,” Shotton said in the release. “I’m inspired by the opportunity to work alongside our dedicated faculty and staff, and I’m deeply committed to building a future grounded in belonging, access, and academic excellence for every student we serve.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
