Why Community Colleges Matter. A Conversation with Rising Star Wallace Caleb Bates
From Education Marketing Leader with Chris Rapozo by Chris Rapozo
April 2, 2026 · 24 min · Season 4 · Episode 8
About this episode
The episode discusses the importance of community colleges and features an interview with Wallace Caleb Bates, who shares his journey from student to marketing leader.
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 country Wallace also shared an important reminder: Many students intentionally choose community colleges for affordability, opportunity, and staying…
People in this episode
Host: Chris Rapozo
Guest: Wallace Caleb Bates
Topics covered
- community colleges
- leadership
- marketing
- storytelling
- education
- community engagement
- affordability
Keywords
- community colleges
- marketing
- leadership
- education
- storytelling
- affordability
- community engagement
- NCMPR National Rising Star
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Hazard Community and Technical College
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