Porter Black, a former student of Northland Pioneer College (NPC) and a resident of Snowflake, AZ, has been selected to serve on the Navajo County Community College Board. Black replaces former board member Frank Lucero to represent District 3, which encompasses a region from I-40 in the north to US 260 in the south, including the towns of Holbrook, Snowflake, and Taylor.
Black currently serves as the Senior Director of Business Development at Summit Healthcare, focusing on growth, service line development, and strategic planning. District Governing Board Chair Everett Robinson swore Black in on Friday, February 6, 2026, in Summit Hospital’s Board Chamber. Black’s term will end on December 31, 2026, at which time, if elected, he will serve the remainder of the position’s six-year term, ending December 31, 2030.
Black grew up in Snowflake and graduated from Snowflake High School, where he also played for the Lobo football team. During high school, he benefited from NPC’s dual enrollment program, taking college-level courses in tandem with his high school studies. He transferred to the University of Arizona, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and minored in Business Administration. “I was actually able to graduate with my bachelor’s degree early in three and a half years, in part because I had earned early college credits from NPC,” he said.
Black went on to earn a Master of Health Service Administration (MHSA) from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2024, and completed his fellowship at Summit Healthcare. Over the years, he has held various roles in both health and business development, including positions with the Pima County Health Department, TriHealth, Onvida Health (formerly Yuma Regional Medical Center), and Summit Healthcare.
NPC District Governing Board Chair Robinson said, “I am thrilled that Porter has agreed to serve on the NPC Governing Board. He grew up in the area and took advantage of NPC’s dual enrollment program to jumpstart his education. Now he’s giving back by volunteering his time to serve on the board. His experience in strategic planning will be invaluable as the board sets future priorities within state-mandated fiscal constraints.”
“The area is growing,” Black said. “I love this community and am proud to have been raised in the White Mountains. I am an advocate for higher education and am grateful for the impact it has had on my life. I want to be able to continue to work to provide new programs and opportunities that feed into a local employment pipeline to keep our talent here working for the greater good of our communities. I want to see the area prosper by growing education, careers, and families that love the area and want to stay here. I hope this role will support that goal and that I can contribute to it. I look forward to serving on this board.“
In his spare time, Black enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife of nearly eight years, BrookeLyn, are kept busy raising their eighteen-month-old son Nickson. BrookLyn also grew up in the Snowflake area and worked as a nurse at Summit Hospital. They are avid fans of the University of Arizona Wildcats and enjoy traveling and learning about new places. He said, “I’m excited to get to know more about communities in Northeast Arizona: Holbrook, Whiteriver, our neighbors along I-40, and the Navajo Nation. I am eager to visit the locations NPC serves and meet with members and representatives in those areas.”
Meetings of NPC’s District Governing Board are held on the third Tuesday of each month and are open to the public. Find meeting dates and more information at www.npc.edu/calendar. For more information on NPC’s District Governing Board, visit www.npc.edu/district-governing-board.
