As interim vice president for community colleges, John Morton is responsible for executive leadership, policy decision-making, resource allocation and development of appropriate support services for the university’s seven community colleges. It is his second stint in a systemwide role; he previously took on a special assignment to help direct implementation of a systemwide online student registration system.

Chancellor of Kapi‘olani Community College since 1984, Morton previously served as dean of instruction at Leeward Community College. He started his UH career at that campus as a faculty member in both chemistry and political science.

Active in community affairs, Morton has served as president of the Hawai‘i Services on Deafness Board and the Hawai‘i Health Information Corporation Board and as a member of the Board of Trustees of ASSETS School.

Morton holds a BS in chemistry and MA in political science from the University of Illinois and a PhD in communication and information sciences from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.