Chandler-Gilbert Community College is honored to announce Dr. Maria Hesse has been chosen as the college’s 2025 Hero of Education as part of the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation’s Heroes of Education.
The Heroes of Education award honors champions of education in Arizona, and recognizes those who have a proven personal and professional commitment to supporting students and educational opportunities.
Dr. Hesse is a staple in higher education in the East Valley and across Arizona. A teacher at her core, she served as a Professor of Practice in Higher Education in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University for five years until her retirement in 2024. From 2009 to 2019, she served as Vice Provost for Academic Partnerships at ASU, helping to create and sustain transfer pathways and productive relationships with community colleges and other academic institutions. Prior to her tenure at ASU, Dr. Hesse served for more than 25 years in the Maricopa County Community College District, retiring as President of Chandler-Gilbert Community College in 2009.
Serving as President of CGCC for seven years, Dr. Hesse helped double enrollment, significantly expand workforce development programs, and enhanced teaching and learning initiatives in cooperative learning, service learning, learning communities and instructional technology. Upon her retirement from CGCC, Dr. Hesse established an endowment, the Maria L. Hesse Service and Leadership Scholarship, which is awarded to students who demonstrate exceptional leadership and service to the college and/or community. This endowment has helped support 38 students since its inception.
Dr. Hesse’s professional career and personal commitment to education, partnership and service has had an impact reaching far beyond CGCC. Dr. Hesse is an ambassador for community colleges and the importance of clear pathways for transfer students, as well as a constant advocate for the quality and resilience of community college students. From academic writings, consulting and teaching, Dr. Hesse is a teacher and mentor guiding higher education leaders in Arizona and across the country.
The Maria L. Hesse Service and Leadership endowment is only a small part of her commitment to support students at community colleges. She also founded Positive Paths, a nonprofit organization supporting East Valley women in need by providing scholarships, mentoring and professional development programs. The Positive Paths scholarship and mentoring program has supported more than 150 women with over $500,000 to attend Maricopa Community Colleges and four-year universities over the past 11 years. Participants are provided with a mentor, often in their desired career field, as well as professional development activities and resources that help women navigate childcare and basic needs.
Dr. Hesse was recognized and received her award, along with the nine other recipients from the other Maricopa Community Colleges, during the Heroes of Education 2025 event, held Nov. 13 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. Proceeds from Heroes of Education support student scholarships and emergency fund needs.