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horst, now president and CEO of Madison College (a.k.a. Madison Area Technical College), never felt limited by this reality. "From the time I was a teenager, I always wanted to teach— D always wanted to lead a school," she explains. "My degree gave me a wonderful foundation for that and for so many other choices." As Barhorst talks about her path to Madison College and her r. Bettsey Barhorst set off to college at a time when career options for women often felt like a fork in the road: one path leading to teaching and the other to nursing. Bar- eight years at its helm, the reason she was hand-picked for the job quickly becomes apparent. She's no-nonsense. She speaks with a positive energy, but it's not of the Pollyanna variety. This is an ambitious realist, the brainy kind of leader it takes to head one of the nation's most distinguished community colleges: A laboratory math program developed by its faculty is considered one of 10 exemplary two-year college math programs in the nation. Its newspaper, The Clarion, is repeatedly identified as one of the country's top student newspapers. Madison College was also one of the first two-year colleges to work with stem cells. And the list just goes on. Since Barhorst became its president in 2004, this 100-year-old, five-campus college system that serves more than 40,000 students in 12 counties has become her baby. Maybe that's why the Associa- tion of Community College Trustees recently honored her with its national "Chief Executive of the Year" award. Madison College and Barhorst are not small-time, and you can hear in her voice: She's not going to let anyone diminish what they do. Like any other leader, Barhorst is not without critics, but her professor standing before a class of graduate students. And she's taught at every level in between. "I miss teaching a lot," she says, "But in a way, I figure that I'm know-how nature and can-do spirit have proven a source of inspi- ration to her team. And like most good leaders, she's charismatic. A champion of open doors, equal opportunity, and second chances, Barhorst is downright evangelical about her life's work. The gospel she spreads is that of turning goals into reality through a solid education—for anyone who wants it. Barhorst earned her Ph.D. in educational administration and foundations at Illinois State University. That field seemed an un- likely endpoint to an educational career that began with theater studies and a bachelor's degree in speech communications. Like degrees in English, math or engineering, her degree provided a versatile basis from which to pursue a vast variety of fields. But her passion was with teaching. Barhorst has been that first-grade teacher introducing herself in cursive on an alphabet-bordered chalkboard. She's been the 42 BRAVA Magazine November 2012 clear Barhorst spends a lot of time guzzling and synthesizing in- formation that she can then use to keep herself motivated. She also uses it to raise up those around her. Barhorst had long been a leader and teacher at other two-year still doing it. I just teach to larger groups. I teach the board [of di- rectors] about higher education today." As she talks about her personal heroes and favorite reads, it's colleges when selected to oversee Madison College. The selection board liked her take-charge moxie and felt her educational phi- losophies closely aligned with the school's. They appreciated her practice of seeking a tête-à-tête with at least one student every day. And they believed she could pull the college through a chal- lenging budget environment. Barhorst didn't disappoint. In the midst of an economic slump, she managed to successfully champion a referendum to fund the $133.8 million expansion of the college. An impressive 60 percent of Madison area residents