Previous research has shown that there are not distinct career lines leading to the chief academic officer (CAO) position in community colleges.Rather, it appears that a variety of skills and experiences contribute to advancement to this position. This paper examines the perceptions of women CAOs as to the importance of professional development activities to their career advancement. Responses from women community college CAOs from nine states (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming) indicate that current position holders perceive that a number of professional development experiences were important to their advancement to the CAO position. (Contains 8 tables.)