Executive Committee
2025-2026 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.
Andrew Speer
OCCA 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.
Pat Fahey
OCCA Vice President
Board Member, Rogue Community College
Pat Fahey is a Grants Pass native and graduate of Grants Pass High School. Although he earned an accounting degree from Southern Oregon University, Pat refers to himself as a “garbage man by birth and by choice.” He’s the second generation in his family business, Southern Oregon Sanitation, a garbage company founded in 1948 and now serving more than 25,000 customers in Josephine, Jackson, and Douglas counties. Starting in 1981, Pat worked his way from container washer and route driver to operations manager until he became general manager in 2001, a position he held for the next 15 years. He retired in 2016, but retirement didn’t “take” for him, so later that year he purchased Sutherlin Sanitary Service where he now works as general manager.
Pat has worked on behalf of his community for decades. He’s been a member of Grants Pass Rotary since 1987. He was Troop Scout Master from 1993-2002. He has served on the Rogue Community College advisory board, Grants Pass School Board finance committee, Three Rivers Community Hospital Foundation board, Josephine Community Libraries board, and Josephine County budget committee. In nearly all of these, he has served in leadership positions.
He currently sits on the boards of Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. and the Josephine County Library Foundation.
Pat and his wife Sue Mason Fahey have been married since 1979 and they are proud of their three grown children, all of who make up the third generation in the family business. While Pat loves to travel, read, and hike in his spare time, he says he’s having the time of his life at work and in his service to community.
Dr. Jessica Howard
OCCA Secretary
President, Chemeketa Community College
Dr. Jessica Howard became Chemeketa’s 11th President in July 2019. She holds a Ph.D. from New York University along with a Master and two Bachelor degrees from Rice University. Her academic work has been interdisciplinary and based in the arts and humanities.
Prior to coming to Chemeketa, Jessica held vice president roles at San Antonio College in San Antonio, Texas, and then became Campus President for the Southeast Campus of Portland Community College. She began her career in higher education as a faculty member, teaching for many years and serving as a department chair.
Jessica is an Aspen New Presidents Fellow and serves on the Campus Compact Board of Directors. In 2019 she received President of the Year award from the Association of College Unions International, and became an honorary member of Phi Theta Kappa in 2014. She is a proud member of the Salem Rotary and the American Association of Women in Community Colleges and regularly serves on state councils, workgroups, and taskforces associated with equity, higher education, and workforce. She is a voting member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and is active with the American Association of Community Colleges.
Well after receiving her doctorate, and while serving as a college vice president, Jessica “went back to school” and obtained her Associate of Arts degree. “I thought it was important to model the importance of student completion and to be able to attest, first-hand, to the quality and value of community college teaching and learning.”
Dr. Rachel Pokrandt
OCCA Treasurer
President, Umpqua Community College
Dr. Rachel Pokrandt has served as the President of Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Roseburg, Oregon since July 2021.
Rachel holds a B.A. in Theatre and British Literature, from Manchester City University in the United Kingdom, an MBA from Western Governor’s University, a graduate certificate in Sustainability from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Management from the Swiss Management Center, Zurich. Prior to stepping into her current role, Rachel served as Vice President and Campus Dean at the Leadville and Chaffee County Campuses of Colorado Mountain College, and Dean of Instruction at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins, CO with oversight over technical trades, concurrent enrollment and health sciences. Rachel is an Aspen Fellow and Participates in the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program.
Prior to working in higher education, Rachel worked in corporate training and the non-profit sector. She served as Director of Education at Beyond Benign and the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, and the Director of Professional Education and Leadership at the Keystone Policy Center. In these roles she led teams working with industry and government partners such as the EPA, NASA, Department of Energy, DuPont, Dow Chemical, and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, providing sustainability training for Professionals and K-12 and post-secondary educators, in 11 countries.
Susan Anderson
Member-at-Large
Board Member, Southwestern Oregon Community College
From a young age, Susan aspired to become a teacher, inspired by the educators who opened up a world of opportunities for her and helped her escape poverty. With their support, she became the first member of her family to attend college. She went on to spend over a decade teaching high school full-time and also served as an instructor in the University of Cincinnati Community College system.
As her passion for supporting education grew, Susan transitioned into a role as a labor relations consultant, a position she held for over 31 years until her retirement. Throughout her career, she remained deeply committed to promoting public education and ensuring that both students and educators had the resources and support they needed to thrive.
In 2011, Susan took her dedication to education a step further by running for a position on the Southwestern Oregon Community College Board. Her goal was to help ensure that individuals from all backgrounds have access to quality education and the opportunity to pursue their dreams. She remains passionate about education and is committed to making a lasting, positive impact on students and educators alike.
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.
Dr. J. Mark Browning
Ex-Officio Member,
Oregon Presidents Council Representative
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.
Austin Folnagy
OCCA Past-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.
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.
