Contact Us
Location
260 13th St NE
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: (503) 399-9912
Questions
Media, website, newsletter inquiries, please contact:
Casey White-Zollman – casey@occa17.com
For public records requests, please contact:
Karen Smith, ksmith@occa17.com
Not sure who to contact? Please use the form below.
Contacts
Abby Lee
Executive Director
Abby became OCCA’s Executive Director in July 2024. Prior to that, she spent 25 years at Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC) in Ontario, Ore, where she served for 14 years as the Associate Vice President of College and Public Relations. Prior to that, she spent three years as the Regional Center Director for Eastern Oregon University at TVCC, following five years as TVCC’s Director of Public Information and Executive Director of the TVCC Foundation. In addition to her role at TVCC, Abby also spent a decade as a 5-term Idaho State Senator (District 9), retiring in 2024 as the Senate Assistant Majority Leader who was known for her bipartisan work on many issues. Abby has also served as an adjunct and community education instructor for TVCC and was twice awarded the TVCC Outstanding Student Services Support Award by students. She was also honored by Idaho Children Are Primary in 2021 with the Primary Legislator Award. As a state senator, Abby served on the Governor’s Higher Education Taskforce, was co-chair of the Joint Legislative Child Protection Oversight Committee, was on the Governor’s Taskforce on Opioid Abuse Prevention and the Western States Legislative Forestry Taskforce.
Abby has a PhD in Public Policy and Administration and a Master of Science degree in Instructional and Performance Technology from Boise State University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Public Relations from Brigham Young University.
Karen Smith
Senior Policy Advisor & General Counsel
Karen currently serves as OCCA’s Senior Policy Advisor & General Counsel. She has worked at OCCA since August 2002, where she focuses on community college operations and governance issues, public records law, ethics and public meetings law, and board member development. She also administers OCCA’s Board Policy and Procedure Program. Prior to joining OCCA, Karen worked at the Oregon Legislature from 1999 to 2002 as legislative director in the Oregon Senate President’s Office, and as a policy analyst in the Senate Majority Office. She also has more than 10 years of experience at the federal level as a lobbyist and as a legislative assistant to former U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield. Karen is a graduate of the American University, Washington College of Law, and has a B.A. in political science from the University of California, San Diego. She is a member of the Oregon State Bar, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA). She enjoys reading, knitting, baking sourdough bread, and taking long walks on the beach in her free time.
John Wykoff
Deputy Director
John is the Deputy Director for the OCCA, where he has worked since 2007. The majority of John’s career has been focused on higher education advocacy and policy. Prior to coming to OCCA, he was a Congressional staffer for Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, covering higher education, business and telecommunication issues. John is a graduate of Portland State University and a native Oregonian who enjoys spending time outdoors, and is an avid downhill skier.
Casey has been OCCA’s Communications Director since October 2020, and previously served as Vice President of Public Relations at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Ore., for more than five years. Prior to working in higher education, Casey was the Communications Director for the InterMountain Education Service District for nearly 10 years, where she supported 18 K-12 school districts in eastern Oregon, and is also an award-winning former reporter for a daily newspaper. Originally from California, Casey works remotely from Pendleton, Ore., where she lives with her husband and young son. Casey is a graduate of the University of Portland. She loves doing anything outside, particularly snowshoeing, camping, horseback riding and sailing, as well as enjoys singing and volunteering in her community. She serves as a Board Member and President for the Pendleton Round-Up & Happy Canyon Hall of Fame and is co-chair of the Pendleton Round-Up Association’s Tough Enough To Wear Pink breast cancer campaign.
Katie is the Director of Operations at OCCA, where she has worked since 2012. Previously, Katie worked in a variety of positions at the Oregon Real Estate Agency, where her passion for public service blossomed. Her commitment to public service has only continued to grow at OCCA. Katie manages OCCA’s operations and assists with legislative advocacy and coordination efforts. Katie earned a Masters Degree in Public Policy with a concentration in Education Policy from Oregon State University and a BA Honors in History from Linfield College. In her free time, Katie enjoys going to concerts (especially to see the Dave Matthews Band), hiking/backpacking, photography, playing/coaching basketball, reading, and traveling.
Elizabeth is the Executive Director of the Oregon Student Success Center. Originally from Iowa, Elizabeth received her doctorate in Educational Policy and Leadership from Iowa State University in 2007. After graduation, she accepted the position of Assistant Director of the California Community College Collaborative, a community college research and policy center at the University of California, Riverside. Elizabeth came to Oregon in 2011 as Director of Communications and Research for the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, and moved to the OCCA in 2014 to assume the position of Director of Student Success and Assessment. In August 2016, grant funding from The Ford Family Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation provided the opportunity for Elizabeth to become the first Executive Director of the Oregon Student Success Center. Elizabeth has professional experience in K-12, community colleges, and universities, with a particular emphasis on student services and enrollment management.
