October 22, 2026
SALEM, Ore. – From expanding college access to reversing enrollment declines and preparing women for leadership, six leaders and advocates will be honored for their service to Oregon’s community colleges and students at the 2026 Howard Cherry Awards Banquet.
The Oregon Community College Association (OCCA) will present the Howard Cherry Awards and Chuck Clemans Award. The Oregon Presidents’ Council (OPC), a collaborative leadership body composed of the presidents of Oregon’s 17 community colleges, will present the Cam Preus Award. The honorees will be recognized during OCCA’s annual conference on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Oregon.
“Our conference theme, ‘Community Colleges WORK for Oregon,’ comes to life in the work of these honorees,” said Dr. Abby Lee, Executive Director of OCCA. “They help students afford college, prepare for careers and find opportunities to lead. Their service strengthens our colleges and the communities we serve across Oregon.”
The Howard Cherry Awards will recognize state Rep. Ricki Ruiz as Outstanding Community College Advocate, Blue Mountain Community College President Dr. Mark Browning as Outstanding Community College Administrator, and Treasure Valley Community College board member Betty Carter as Outstanding Community College Board Member. Klamath Community College board member Dave Jensen will receive the Chuck Clemans Award. Dr. Kristina Holton of Oregon Coast Community College and Amy Burbee of Linn-Benton Community College will receive the Cam Preus Award.
“These honorees serve in different roles, but each brings a commitment to helping Oregon’s community colleges and their students succeed,” said Pat Fahey, OCCA President. “Through public advocacy, college leadership and service to others, they show how individuals can make a difference on their campuses and across the state. We are proud to recognize their contributions.”
Howard Cherry Awards
Named for the late Dr. Howard Cherry, a lifelong education advocate and founding member of the Association of Community College Trustees, these annual awards recognize a community college advocate, administrator, and board member.
Outstanding Community College Advocate — Rep. Ricki Ruiz
Rep. Ricki Ruiz’s connection to community colleges began in Gresham, where he participated in Mt. Hood Community College’s TRIO program and took dual-credit courses. The first in his family to graduate from high school, he later earned a bachelor’s degree in social entrepreneurship and now champions college access and affordability in the Oregon Legislature.
As co-chair of the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education and a leader of the Legislative Community College Caucus, Ruiz has brought college leaders, trustees and students into state policy and funding conversations. He has supported investments in the Community College Support Fund, Oregon Opportunity Grant and Oregon Promise, efforts to reconnect adults with unfinished credentials, and expanded community college offerings, including Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. His nominators describe an accessible partner who seeks college input and keeps students’ needs central to policymaking.
Outstanding Community College Administrator — Dr. Mark Browning
Under Dr. Mark Browning’s leadership, Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) reversed a decade-long enrollment decline and recorded three consecutive years of growth. His nomination materials report a 27.5 percent increase in overall enrollment since he became president in 2021 and the college’s first balanced budget in five years without relying on reserves.
Browning helped bring the $13 million Blue Mountain Equine Center to completion through partnerships with local government and private-sector leaders. He has supported new workforce programs, including a drone certificate and dual-language agriculture training, and expanded partnerships with school districts and regional education providers. Through his “High Five” initiative, he personally matches employee donations to support student scholarships.
Dr. Browning’s statewide service is equally distinguished. He served on the OCCA Executive Committee from 2023–2026, chaired the Oregon Presidents’ Council in 2025–26, and regularly travels to Salem to testify and advocate for rural colleges and the students they serve.
Outstanding Community College Board Member — Betty Carter
Betty Carter has served on the Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC) Board of Education since 2019, following a 27-year career with the Oregon Department of Corrections at Snake River Correctional Institution. A longtime Ontario resident, she brings a focus on student opportunity and community service to college governance.
Carter has served as board vice chair, on the Board Policy Committee and as liaison to the TVCC Foundation. She has participated in student-sponsored multicultural events and served on OCCA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Her support for organizations including Project DOVE and Treasure Valley Multicultural Services extends her service beyond the college. Her nominators emphasize her willingness to listen, learn and build relationships while keeping student success at the center of board decisions.
Chuck Clemans Award
Dave Jensen — Klamath Community College
With nearly 18 years of service on the Klamath Community College (KCC) board, Dave Jensen will receive the Chuck Clemans Award for his dedication to OCCA and statewide community college advocacy. He began his 18th year in July 2026; his service includes eight years as chair and four as vice chair.
As OCCA president in 2016–17, Jensen supported legislation to improve transfer pathways between community colleges and universities and provided steady leadership during a period of transition for the association. At KCC, he has helped guide major campus projects and advocated for state funding. He has supported the college foundation, student emergency funds and food pantry, and contributed to fundraising for the Childcare Learning Center. His nominators also describe his mentorship of fellow trustees and consistent availability to help the college and its students.
Created in 2015 in honor of the late Dr. Charles A. “Chuck” Clemans, the Chuck Clemens Award recognizes a board member whose long and distinguished service has strengthened OCCA’s work statewide — a rare honor reserved for trustees whose leadership, advocacy, and commitment over many years have elevated Oregon’s community colleges.
Cam Preus Award
Dr. Kristina Holton and Amy Burbee, M.A.
Dr. Kristina Holton and Amy Burbee, M.A. will be honored by the Oregon Presidents’ Council for their partnership in sustaining the Oregon Institute for Leadership Development (OILD). Together, they coordinate the program to continue leadership development opportunities for community college women across Oregon.
The four-day program offers personal and professional growth for women working in community colleges, with sessions on leadership, team building, communication, institutional politics and organizational change.
Holton joined Oregon Coast Community College as Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs in July 2026 after serving as Dean of Science, Engineering and Mathematics at Linn-Benton Community College. Her community college career began at Lane Community College in 2010. An OILD co-facilitator since March 2023, she coordinates outreach, logistics, programming and finances, and presents on leadership theory and practice. She also serves as vice president for OILD in the Oregon chapter of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges.
Burbee, Faculty Department Chair of Work-Based Learning at Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC), brings more than 27 years of experience in career and technical education to her work with adult learners and workforce partners. Her background includes leadership of Cooperative Work Experience and Credit for Prior Learning initiatives, service on Oregon’s statewide Credit for Prior Learning Advisory Committee, and leadership of LBCC’s CTE Signing Day program. A first-generation college graduate, she advocates for women in the trades and pathways connecting education with employment.
Named for retired OCCA Executive Director Dr. Cam Preus, the award recognizes current or former Oregon community college employees with at least 15 years of service, extraordinary commitment to student access and success, and work with statewide impact.