Lindsay Spiegel, center, displays the NCCA Administrator/Staff Award with Northeast Community College President Leah Barrett, left, and Nebraska Community College Association Executive Director Courtney Whittstruck during the NCCA Annual Conference in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, on Oct. 4, 2026.
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. – Lindsay Spiegel, director of institutional effectiveness at Northeast Community College, has received the Nebraska Community College Association (NCCA) Administrator or Staff Award. Spiegel received the award during the NCCA Annual Conference in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, on Oct. 4, 2026.
The award recognizes Lindsay Spiegel’s more than 15 years of service to Northeast and her leadership in accreditation, strategic planning, governance, administrative assessment, compliance, and institutional effectiveness. A member of the President’s Cabinet, she has dedicated her career to strengthening educational opportunities and helping Northeast fulfill its mission of transforming lives, inspiring success, and creating opportunities.
“Lindsay has the ability to bring together information in a clear and concise manner that articulates our values, our vision, and our priorities,” said Leah Barrett, president of Northeast Community College. “She uses data combined with our mission/vision/values to write an accreditation assurance argument, rewrite a policy, and support an award application. She lives our mission, prioritizing the experience of our students and ensuring we support the rural economies of Northeast Nebraska.”
Lindsay Spiegel has played a significant role in several major institutional initiatives. She coordinated Northeast’s comprehensive Higher Learning Commission reaffirmation visit in 2023, helping the College secure continued accreditation. She also played a lead role in planning and executing Northeast’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.
More recently, Lindsay Spiegel led Northeast’s Rise Together strategic planning process, which engaged employees, students, and community stakeholders in developing a shared vision and framework for the College’s future. She also helped redesign Northeast’s shared governance system and has championed digital accessibility initiatives designed to improve access to institutional resources and services.
Her leadership has also supported work connected to significant external recognition for Northeast, including the College being named a Top 25 semifinalist for the 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and receiving the 2026 Association of Community College Trustees Western Region Impact and Success Award.
A graduate of both Northeast Community College and Wayne State College, Lindsay Spiegel has spent her professional career supporting the College and the communities it serves. Her work has helped align people, priorities, and processes around Northeast’s mission while strengthening systems that support institutional effectiveness, student success, and continuous improvement.
