Why Community Colleges Matter. A Conversation with Rising Star Wallace Caleb Bates

Community colleges don’t always get the spotlight. But they change lives every day.To kick off our Community College Month series, I sat down with Wallace Caleb Bates, Director of Marketing and Communications at Hazard Community and Technical College and 2026 NCMPR National Rising Star.Wallace’s story comes full circle. He started as a student at HCTC and returned just a few years later to lead marketing and communications. He shared that walking into the president’s office on his first day felt surreal, asking himself, “Am I really here?” after being a student not long before.In this episode, we discuss:• Going from community college student to leadership • Returning home to serve the institution that shaped him • Challenging the stigma that community college is a “second choice” • Marketing in a rural community built on relationships and trust • Building visibility through storytelling and community engagement • Why empathy matters as much as analytics in marketing • The growing impact of community colleges across the countryWallace also shared an important reminder: Many students intentionally choose community colleges for affordability, opportunity, and staying connected to their communities.This conversation sets the tone for our Community College Month series.Listen now.