ACHS Appoints Tracey Abell as College President

 

 
 

The American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS, Portland, OR) has announced that Tracey Abell, BS, MS, has been appointed ACHS president. Abell joined the ACHS team in 2002 and was formerly the chief operating officer. During her tenure at ACHS, Abell was promoted to leadership positions across the institution including dean of admissions, dean of student services and associate education director before becoming chief operating officer in 2015. Abell has been an integral member of the institution’s leadership team and worked in collaboration with Founding President Dorene Petersen, Vice President of Institutional Strategy & Global Impact Kate Harmon, and the institution’s leadership team, staff, and faculty to deliver positive student outcomes and create a global community of wellness professionals.

“I am honored to be entrusted to carry on Dorene’s trailblazing legacy in integrative health and wellness education, and I am inspired every day by our students’ commitment, resilience, and the change they are making in the world,” said Abell. “It is a privilege to be able to serve our inspiring community of learners in this new role, and I am excited to also work with our experienced leadership team to advance opportunities and outcomes for our students and graduates.”

Abell holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and master’s degree in Education with a specialization in Leadership in Higher Education. Like many ACHS students, Abell experienced being an adult learner and understands the challenges post-traditional students can face pursuing higher education while balancing work and life’s obligations. Abell is committed to expanding the institution’s accessible and inclusive programming to help ACHS’s diverse students achieve their education goals.

Abell has been integral in establishing the ACHS Foundation, a non-profit foundation whose purpose is to expand awareness and access to integrative health education and global sustainability practices. Since 2004, Abell has coordinated the institution’s study abroad programs in partnership with Petersen to support the institution’s experiential learning programs on wellness and sustainable essential oil and botanical production in Provence, Greece, Indonesia, and India. Abell’s diverse experience across the institution and also her experience serving as a business standards and Title IV compliance evaluator for the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) have provided Abell with insights that will contribute to on-going innovations and advancement of ACHS’s programs and services.

“I am excited to work alongside Tracey Abell to continue the legacy built by our Founder Dorene Petersen,” said Harmon. “Tracey is an exceptional mission-driven leader that puts our students and graduates first while still having the grit it takes to blaze new trails and bring important initiatives to the frontlines of online education and integrative health. She is highly respected by us all at ACHS, and we are lucky to have her in this new role as president.”

As founding president, Petersen will continue to engage in ACHS’s service programs including the work of the ACHS Foundation and contributing research and updates to the institution’s textbooks of which Petersen is the primary author.

“Tracey Abell has demonstrated a deep commitment to the mission and vision of American College of Healthcare Sciences during her 19-year tenure at the institution,” said Petersen. “In her new role, Abell will work with the institution’s experienced leadership team and committed staff and faculty to continue the institution’s mission and vision and advance its integrative health and wellness education programs.”

For more information, visit https://achs.edu.