Mark Holston Named FVCC’s 2018 Distinguished Alum

Flathead Valley Community College honored Mark Holston with the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award on March 21 at the FVCC Alumni & Friends Luncheon. The award is given annually to an individual whose career achievements, service to others and passion for FVCC rise above the rest.

A 1973 graduate of FVCC, Holston has served on the college’s board of trustees since 2001. During the 1970s, he oversaw Total Community Education television project at FVCC, a nationally recognized pilot program that utilized cable television to deliver “telecourses” to students in their homes. He has taught several courses at the college and has frequently served as a guest lecturer.

“Mark has consistently been a champion for FVCC and our students,” FVCC President Jane Karas said. “As a trustee, he has focused on addressing the needs of our community.”

Holston was the news director of KCFW-TV for 14 years and the public information officer for the Flathead Basin Commission for 16 years.

In 1992, Holston founded the Latin jazz orchestra, Cocinando. With Holston on the keyboard, the band continues to perform around Montana and the Pacific Northwest. A scholar of Latin history and culture, Holston speaks Spanish fluently, has travelled throughout Latin America and has twice been invited to participate in the Smithsonian Institution’s Latino Initiative program. He is currently a contributing editor for Latino Magazine and the Miami-based Latin Business Chronicle, among other publications.

For more information on FVCC’s Alumni & Friends program, call Heidi Hickethier at the FVCC Foundation at (406) 756-4388 or visit www.fvcc.edu/alumni.