Dr. Karen Rafinski is President Emeriti of Clark State Community College (CSCC) . Over her 16 years at the helm of the college, enrollment more than doubled, CSCC expanded to more locations and developed closer ties with local businesses. She has also served as Interim President for the Ohio Association of Community Colleges.

Between her CSCC presidency and her previous presidencies at higher education institutions in Minnesota, Rafinski has spent 26 years as CEO at three institutions and 41 years in higher education.
She has a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University at Moorhead; a master’s degree from the University of Washington, Seattle, a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and an MPA from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.

Her national honors include being named the 2008 Outstanding Community College President by the Association of Community College Trustees and receiving the 2003 Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction from the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.