Marcella Prokop

Director of Access and Workforce Opportunity, Marcella Prokop, has served in higher education since 2010 working as a tutor, an admissions counselor and an instructor. Her commitment to working with underserved populations grew out of watching her mother pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees while simultaneously working to improve her English language skills.

As a Nebraska farm girl and a dual citizen of the United States and Colombia, Marcella has drawn on her unique background and understanding of other cultures to support systemically non-dominant students and community members in a variety of ways throughout her 20 years in the Sioux Falls area. She has participated in the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation process, course design and review, and linguistic diversity presentations at previous institutions.

Although Marcella’s heritage is the foundation for her approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, as a stroke survivor she is also passionate about advocating for greater access to education and professional opportunities for others with disabilities, visible or invisible.