Armstrong.
COLUMBUS – The Ohio Association of Community Colleges has named Toledo Fire and Rescue Chief Allison Armstrong as its annual Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient.
The 2004 Owens Community College graduate was honored during the OACC’s annual conference in Columbus.
Armstrong knew from the time she was a young girl she wanted to be a firefighter and was appointed to the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department in July 2000. She rose through the ranks and became battalion chief in September 2019. She was the first woman named chief in the city’s history in 2022.
After earning her associate degree in nursing from Owens, she earned a bachelor’s in nursing from Mercy College and master’s in health information from the University of Cincinnati.
“Chief Armstrong is a leader in public service who is dedicated to the people on the front lines,” Owens Community College President Dione Somerville wrote in her nomination letter for Armstrong. “We at Owens Community College are proud of our distinguished alumnae and feel she is an exemplary role model of an Ohio community college graduate and public servant.”
The OACC Distinguished Alumnus Award is presented annually to a deserving alumnus from one of Ohio’s 23 community colleges who has demonstrated a passionate level of commitment to the local community and higher education.
