Executive Committee
2023-2024 Executive Committee
Purpose: Provide direction to the OCCA Executive Director between board meetings, annually evaluating the Executive Director, and any other functions on behalf of the Board of Directors as the board may authorize.
Austin Folnagy
OCCA President
Board Member, Lane Community College
Austin Folnagy joined the LCC Board in 2021, bringing with him a wealth of experience and expertise in various fields. Prior to his current position, he was elected to the Klamath Community College Board and the Southern Oregon ESD Board. With a diverse background spanning over 10 years, Folnagy has worked in areas such as workforce development, business services, political organizing, labor relations, and education. He pursued his education at North Idaho College and the University of Idaho, where he majored in Political Science and Organizational Science. Additionally, he engaged in graduate studies focusing on Organizational Dynamics.
Andrew Speer
OCCA Vice President
Board Member, Mt. Hood Community College
Andrew Speer was elected to the Mt. Hood Community College District Board of Education in 2019 and was elected to serve another four-year term until 2027. He proudly served as an infantry soldier in the U.S. Marines Corps for four years. He received an associate degree from MHCC in economics and then earned his master’s degree at Portland State University. He is now an economist with a background in economic modeling and analysis.
Speer actively volunteers. He served on the City of Portland’s Charter Review Commission and was a board member of the Gresham Chamber of Commerce. He is now a board trustee for WorldOregon.
Mark Browning
OCCA Secretary
President, Blue Mountain Community College
Dr. J. Mark Browning has served as the president of Blue Mountain Community College since 2020. He came to BMCC from the College of Western Idaho in Boise, Idaho, where he was the Vice President College Relations. Prior to that, he served four years as the Vice President of Communications & Government Relations at North Idaho College, and was the Chief Communications & Legislative Officer for the Idaho State Board of Education for five years. He brings extensive experience in building relationships, communications, government relations and K12 partnerships to BMCC.
Dr. Browning earned his doctorate in education from Idaho State University, a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Idaho, and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Idaho State University.
Dr. Browning and his wife, Kym, have three adult children.
Laurie Chesley
OCCA Treasurer
President, Central Oregon Community College
Dr. Laurie Chesley is the sixth president in Central Oregon Community College’s 70-year history. Her tenure began in July of 2019.
Prior to joining COCC, Chesley was provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan. Her administrative and leadership experience spans 18 years and includes both two- and four-year colleges. Chesley served as interim dean of learning at Northwestern Michigan, assistant vice president for academic affairs at Ferris State (Michigan) University, dean of humanities at Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) Community College, and associate dean and dean of arts and sciences at Grand Rapids Community College.
A first-generation college graduate, she earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Alma College. She went on to receive her master’s and doctorate degrees (her dissertation examined the portrayal of women in the work of Daniel Defoe) in English at the University of Notre Dame, where she met her late-husband, Brent. Chesley taught English at a variety of higher education institutions for 14 years, including five years of full-time teaching at Northwestern Michigan College.
A recipient of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Faculty Excellence Award and a past winner of the Michigan Chapter of the American Council of Education Network’s Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Leadership Award, Chesley is passionate about mentoring the leaders of tomorrow.
Born in Michigan, she’s a fan of classic cars, traveling and cycling.
Betsy McMahon
Member-at-Large
Board Member, Tillamook Bay Community College
Betsy McMahon’s community college roots include graduate work in Intercultural Communications at Portland Community College, which lead her to obtaining a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and another M.A. in English. Throughout her education, Betsy has taught in France, China, The Netherlands, and Yugoslavia. She taught under the Fulbright Grant in Bosnia-Hercegovina, and held administrative positions in International Programs at Concordia University in Portland, and St Thomas Academy and Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Minnesota.
She has served on the Tillamook Bay Community College Board of Education since 2019.
Kristin Adams
Member-at-Large
Board Member, Linn-Benton Community College
With over 20 years of experience in K-12 education, Kristin Adams joined the Linn Benton Community College Board of Education in 2018. She currently works as the High School Success Coordinator at Sweet Home High School, managing a diverse list of projects that have a positive, effective impact on school district and state-wide initiatives for increased graduation and attendance rates, post-secondary enrollment, career technical education, and drop-out prevention. Before her tenure in education, Kristin worked for a national environmental consulting firm in marketing and contract management. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Administration from Oregon State University. Kristin and her husband have four adult children, two of which are high school History teachers.
Lisa Skari
Ex-Officio Member,
Oregon Presidents Council Representative
President, Mt. Hood Community College
Dr. Lisa Skari serves as the ninth president of Mt. Hood Community College. She has worked in community colleges for the last 32 years and began her career as an adjunct faculty member at Highline College in Des Moines, Washington. Prior to that, she served in management within the textiles industry.
During her tenure at Highline College, Dr. Skari worked as the college’s inaugural vice president of institutional advancement, as well as the director of instructional budgeting and the director of co-operative education and internships. As Highline College’s chief advancement officer, she was instrumental in growing external funding to $35 million and in increasing foundation assets by 700%. As the chair of the faculty and staff of color recruitment and retention council at Highline College, Dr. Skari led efforts that resulted in the college achieving the highest percentage of full-time faculty of color in Washington.
Dr. Skari earned her Doctor of Education in higher education administration from Washington State University (WSU), her Master of Business Administration from Pacific Lutheran University, and her Bachelor of Arts from WSU. She has received a Communicator of the Year award (Region VII) from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations; a 2007 Rising Star, Women of Influence, recognition award from the Business Examiner Newspaper Group; and a Distinguished Service Award from the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges. She’s a former commissioner of alumni relations for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Jane Reid
OCCA Past-President
Board Member, Clackamas Community College
Jane Reid has served on the Board of Education since 2007. She brings decades of community service and advocacy to both Clackamas Community College and OCCA. Reid also is active in the Estacada community and has served on the Estacada Area Arts Commission and Clackamas County Arts Alliance; coordinated the Estacada Summer Celebration for 20 years; developed The Powerhouse Project, which explored the dams and powerhouses along the Clackamas River through the arts; is president of Estacada Together; and serves the board of and volunteers with The Estacada Area Food Bank. Jane holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Connecticut. Jane is an advocate for the arts, education and the environment.
Donna Lewelling
Ex-Officio Member
Director, Office of Community Colleges & Workforce Development (CCWD)
Donna Lewelling serves as the Director of the Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD) for the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. In this role she directs the office forresponsible for coordination, leadership and resources to Oregon’s 17 locally-governed community colleges, adult basic skills providers, postsecondary career and technical education programs, and other partnerships to advance statewide goals.
Donna has years of experience with statewide community college policy and has served a variety of other important roles at the HECC since the agency was first formed in 2013, most recently serving as interim director of the HECC Office of CCWD since March of 2021. She served as deputy director of CCWD from 2016 to 2021, Oregon’s adult basic skills director, policy analyst, and numerous roles at the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development before it became an office of the HECC. She currently serves as the president for the Oregon Chapter of the American Association of Community Colleges, and is a recipient of the Howard Cherry Outstanding Community College Advocate Award by the Oregon Community College Association. Donna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Management and Leadership both from Western Governor’s University.
