The Maricopa County Community College District has been ranked the top community college in the nation for women to work in a list compiled by Forbes.

“As one of the nation’s largest community college systems, we are more than just an equal opportunity employer,” said MCCCD Interim Chancellor Dr. Steven R. Gonzales.

“Rather we strive to hire and foster a diverse workforce capable of working collectively and responsibly to meet the lifelong learning needs of our diverse students and communities.”

Currently, women make up 58.28% percent of the MCCCD workforce, 58.23% are women in positions of leadership. Six of the seven MCCCD elected governing board members are women, a district release stated.

“MCCCD also offers the Linda B. Rosenthal Women’s Mentor Program which provides continuous development of an active and supportive work environment for the diverse women of the Maricopa Community Colleges,” the release stated.

The free employee mentorship program provides opportunities for women to focus on their professional development goals, develop new leadership skills and learn from college presidents, vice chancellors and other leaders in the system, according to the release.

“Within our system, we provide various resources for our female employee population as their situations and needs change,” said Dr. Georgetta Kelly, MCCCD’s chief human resources officer.

“By creating a workplace supportive of each of our diverse team members in various life stages, we’re able to uphold our mission and values as a leader in higher education.”

In addition to its top community college ranking for women in the workplace, out of 400 American companies included in the list, MCCCD ranked fifth out of Higher Education Institutions following Loyola University Chicago, Southern New Hampshire University, University of South Florida  and UCLA, district officials stated in the release.

This year’s ranking by Forbes was compiled through a survey of 50,000 Americans — 30,000 women and 20,000 men — working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees.

For more: Forbes’ America’s Best Employers For Women.