Aarti Dhupelia said her dedication to education equity is rooted in her own upbringing as the daughter of Ugandan immigrants. “I witnessed firsthand my parents building a wonderful life for our family after restarting from scratch,” she said. “They were able to do so in large part because of the education they arrived with and the hard work they put into their professions.”
With a doctorate in higher education leadership, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a BA from Northwestern University, Dhupelia believes in the power of education to drive opportunity. Known for her visionary leadership and commitment to outcomes, she continues to inspire systemic change in higher education as the executive vice chancellor and chief student experience officer at City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), Illinois’ largest community college system, founded in 1911.
Under Dhupelia’s leadership, CCC continues its mission of being Chicago’s most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility and racial equity, serving over 66,000 students annually across seven colleges and five satellite sites.
Dhupelia’s 20+ years of experience spans K-12 and higher education, consistently focused on equity and economic mobility. Her journey began in management consulting, where she honed strategic planning and leadership skills before transitioning into senior roles at Chicago Public Schools (CPS). There, she launched the Office of College and Career Success and spearheaded initiatives to improve attendance, certifications and college enrollment rates.
Leading the Undergraduate College at National Louis University, Dhupelia designed a scalable model to address systemic barriers for Black, Latinx and first-generation students. In 2024, the University of Chicago’s Inclusive Economy Lab hailed her work as a beacon for fostering educational equity.
Since joining CCC, Dhupelia has implemented transformative strategies, starting with a comprehensive listening tour to craft a three-year strategic plan for student experience. Her restructuring of the Office of Student Experience has led to an increase in academic advising access from 5% to 80% for new students and the launch of the thrive strategy, addressing food and housing insecurity. Dhupelia also spearheaded CCC’s inaugural Black Learner Excellence Summit, establishing a professional learning community to support Black students in higher education.
Her efforts have led to accolades such as Bottom Line Chicago’s champion for college completion and being named one of the top 30 technologists, transformers, and trailblazers by the Center for Digital Education.
“While I work in an education leadership role, the majority of my time is spent in non-student-facing capacities, which can lead to periodic feelings of disconnect from the student-centered mission and impact of my team’s work,” said Dhupelia. “So, I try to regularly connect with students both through periodic feedback gathering, as well as working directly with students as a mentor.”