OCCA Committees
OCCA maintains seven standing committees: Member Services; Budget; Legislative; Nominating; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); Student Success Advisory, and the Howard Cherry Nominating. The OCCA Board and the Executive Committee can also form temporary committees to work on specific issues relating to community colleges. Once the issue has reached a conclusion or the issue can be assimilated into another committee, the ad hoc groups are disbanded.
Budget Committee
Purpose: The committee reviews and makes recommendations to OCCA staff about the OCCA budget. The committee will also review, with staff, the annual audit of the OCCA financial statements.
Laurie Chesley, Chair – Central Oregon CC President, OCCA Treasurer
Tim Cook – Clackamas CC President
Dr. Adrien Bennings – Portland CC President
Jackie Franke – Chemeketa CC Board Member
Kim Morgan – Columbia Gorge CC Board Member
Stephen Crow – Treasure Valley CC Board Member
Jess Jacobs – Linn-Benton CC Director of Account & Budget
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee
Purpose: Works to provide tools to community colleges to actively engage and recruit people of color in our communities to increase their participation and representation on our boards of education, support OCCA, all community college board members, and all community colleges in their individual and collective learning around racism and bias within our institutions and society, and recommend all Oregon community college boards consider adoption of the ACCT Equity Action Agenda.
*Pending Board approval
Lisa AbuAssaly George, Chair – Columbia Gorge CC, Chief Diversity Officer
Lucia Bartscher – Rogue CC Director of DEI
Christy Walker – Central Oregon CC Dean of Equity & Well-Being
Erin Merz – Central Oregon Board Member
Debbie Kilduff – Central Oregon CC Board Member
Susan Anderson – Southwestern Oregon CC Board Member
Debbie Kilduff – Oregon Coast CC Board Member
Casey Layton – Clackamas CC Chief Diversity Officer
Tim Cook – Clackamas CC President
Paul Jarrell – Tillamook Bay CC President
Kenny Lawson – Columbia Gorge CC President
Jason Dorsette – Linn-Benton CC Chief Diversity Officer
Diane Watson – Chemeketa CC Board Member
Traci Simmons – Mt. Hood CC Chief Diversity Officer
Howard Cherry Nominating Committee*
Purpose: Reviews award nominations and selects winners for the annual Howard Cherry Awards
*To be determined in 2024.
Legislative Committee
Austin Folnagy – Lane CC Board Member/OCCA President
Andrew Speer – Mt. Hood CC Board Member/OCCA Vice President
Lisa Skari – Mt. Hood CC President
Mark Browning – Blue Mountain CC President
Rachel Pokrandt – Umpqua CC President
Paul Jarrell – Tillamook Bay President
Brett Rowlett – Lane CC Executive Director of External Affairs
Jonathan Bilden – Rogue CC Board Member
Sage Learn – Portland CC Chief of Staff
Holly Nelson – Chemeketa CC Chief Workforce Innovation & Community Success Officer
Member Services Committee
Purpose: This committee works on issues regarding how OCCA can best serve the needs of the 17 local community colleges and engages in strategic planning. The committee reviews and makes recommendations to staff about OCCA educational programs, including administrator, president, and board training events and the annual OCCA convention. The committee will also assist the Member Services Director with the development of new training opportunities such as webinars and administrator and leadership development.
Andrew Speer, Chair – Mt. Hood CC Board Member/OCCA Vice President
Randy Weber – Rogue CC President
Dana Young – Treasure Valley CC President
Jessica Howard – Chemeketa CC President
Paul Jarrell – Tillamook Bay CC President
Pat Fahey – Rogue CC Board Member
Dave Jensen – Klamath CC Board Member
Jane Reid – Clackamas CC Board Member
Kim Morgan – Columbia Gorge CC Board Member
Marcia Jensen – Southwestern Oregon CC Board Member
Lori Hall – Clackamas CC Director of College Relations & Marketing
Brett Rowlett – Lane CC Director of External Affairs
Shannon Franklin – Blue Mountain CC Executive Assistant to the President
Lorie Lund – Tillamook Bay CC Executive Assistant to the President
Jessica Griffin Conner – Columbia Gorge CC Assistant Director of Student Outreach & Communications
Nominating Committee
Purpose: The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of officers for the upcoming fiscal year executive committee, consisting of the vice-president, treasurer and at-large members (and, if necessary, the president or secretary) to be presented to the OCCA board at the meeting prior to the meeting where the election of officers is to occur. Additional nominations may be made.
Kim Morgan, Chair – Columbia Gorge CC Board Member
Patty Scott – Southwestern Oregon CC President
Betsy McMahon – Tillamook Bay CC Board Member
Steve Loosley – Umpqua CC Board Member
Student Success Advisory Committee
Purpose: This committee is chaired by one of the two community college president members. Two OCCA Representatives serve on the committee along with two representatives from the following community college affinity groups: CTE Deans, Adult Basic Education, Council of Student Services Administrators (CSSA), Council of Instructional Administrators (CIA), Oregon Community College Institutional Researchers (OCCIR), Oregon Community College Distance Learning Association (OCCDLA). The Director of the Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development and the Executive Director of the Oregon Student Success Center are ex-officio members of the committee. This committee meets twice annually to provide strategic and operational direction to the Oregon Student Success Center and the OCCA Board of Directors.
Patty Scott, Chair – Southwestern Oregon CC President
Annette Mattson – Mt. Hood CC Board Member
Gary Plano – Rogue CC Board Member
Erin Foote-Morgan – Central Oregon CC Board Member
Colin Ensminger-Stapp – Chemeketa CC/OCCDLA
John Hamblin – Mt. Hood CC/CSSA
Tom Tylee – Umpqua CC/OCABSD
Ali Mageehon – Southwestern Oregon CC/CIA
Erin McCarley – Tillamook Bay CC/OCCCIRs
