Dr. Jean Goodnow

Dr. Jean Goodnow was born and raised in Iowa. She is the second oldest of an Irish family of seven children. Her father had an eighth-grade education and dug gas line ditches for Iowa-Illinois Gas & Electric in Iowa City, Iowa. Her mother died when she was ten years old, and she was raised by her grandparents on a small farm near Oxford, Iowa. Paying for her education on a combination of grants, scholarships, loans and jobs, Dr. Goodnow was the first member of her family to attend college, and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, a Master of Arts Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Iowa. In addition, she has completed post-graduate study at Harvard University.

She is the mother of one son, John Goodnow. John and his wife, Anna, have a daughter, Alejandra. Dr. Goodnow also helped raise her nephew, Tony Williams. Tony and his wife, Shelly, have three children, Chloe, Skylar and Sophia.

Dr. Goodnow worked at community colleges throughout Iowa before becoming President of Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, Illinois, in 1996, where she earned a reputation for innovation in technology, career programs and community involvement. In 2005, she was appointed as Delta College’s fourth President, and has established herself as a true visionary leader who is passionate and energetic about the College, the Great Lakes Bay Region, and improving the personal and professional lives of everyone.

The recipient of numerous awards – including the Community College Alliance Leadership Award, the Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region – Dr. Goodnow cares deeply about the region and its success!