Michael Bettinger
Chief of Staff
Michael Bettinger (Mike) serves as the Chief of Staff for Montgomery County Community College. Prior to his role on the Senior Leadership team, he began his tenure at the College in 2017 as Director of Government & External Relations and brings over 19 years of government affairs, stakeholder relations, and policy development experience to the position. Prior to 2017, he worked for the Pennsylvania General Assembly for over a decade serving on staff for members of both the Senate and House of Representatives.
At Montco, Mike serves as the President’s principal advisor on institutional strategy
for governance and external relations. He develops and executes comprehensive, proactive
government and external affairs strategies focused on partnerships and linkages to
advance the College’s mission and serves as the primary liaison between the institution
and members of Congress, state legislators, federal and local government administrators,
governors, county executives, and other key community, civic, and business entities.
A recipient of the 2023-2024 League Excellence Award from the League for Innovation
in the Community College, and named to City & State PA’s 2025 40 in their Forties
list, Mike has secured increases in public funding to support college operations as
well as state and federal funds for the development and expansion of STEM programing,
dual enrollment initiatives, student tuition assistance and wellness support, apprenticeships,
and capital construction projects. He has given numerous guest lectures on advocacy,
negotiation, and government, and currently serves as the Chair for the Government
Relations Committee for the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, the umbrella
organization for the Commonwealth’s 15 community colleges. Mike also oversees the
Veterans Resource Center, the state and nationally recognized student civic engagement
efforts at Montco and has led the planning and logistics teams for college visits
by the President of the United States, state and federal Secretaries of Education,
the Governor of Pennsylvania, and other high-ranking officials.
Mike graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in History from West Chester University
of Pennsylvania and is a member of the Pi Gamma Mu International Honors Society for
Social Sciences. Born and raised in Willow Grove, Pennsylvanie, he currently lives
with his wife in Philadelphia and enjoys attending Phillies games, reading, and spending
time with his friends and family.