While she is busy with all of the challenges she faces in her new role, she wanted to be sure to welcome everyone to the Seattle Community College District.

Wakefield assumed the chancellorship on January 1, 2009, upon the retirement of Charles H. Mitchell. She is the 17th chancellor and the first woman chancellor in the history of the District.

The chancellor is responsible for overall operations of the state's largest two-year college district, educating more than 50,000 students at Seattle Central, North Seattle and South Seattle Community Colleges; the Seattle Vocational Institute; and five specialized training centers located across the city.