VOTE411 Voter Guide

As an Oregonian raised in Coos County, I want to see Southwestern Oregon Community College prosper for our community. We need to be able to educate, train and retain bright minds in our community. We need to help teenagers all the way up to older adults pursue a career path or change their career with quality education or certificates in trade skills ready for workforce. We need to cater to local employers needs and create programs that are marketable to the industry. We need to focus on quality affordable education, marketable careers, merit system for staff & students and not DEI. The merit system needs to be in place to ensure fair and open recruitment, competition, and employment practice free of political influence.

I have creative ideas for marketing and problem solving also the ability to review budgets. As a landowner and business owner, I’m experienced in dealing with construction management, real estate management, retail management, entrepreneurship, hospitality management, timberland management and ranch management. I started a homeschool coop with 17 students during COVID. This is where I worked on curriculum, facility setup and taught Math, Science & Bible Study. This was the most challenging and rewarding pursuit in my career. I learned to adapt lesson plans and new ways of teaching every day to meet students’ development and learning retention. My motto is “Learn to Learn.”

Yes, I would focus on where the demand for jobs is. Trade jobs require vocational training and skilled trades. They often offer competitive salaries, especially as the demand outstrips the supply. I still know that there’s a need for preparing some student for 4-year college path but the trend for the local workforce is trade jobs. Online classes might be a strategies direction that could help stretch resources for both traditional 4-year college path and CTE programs.

I will provide outreach to our tri-counties communities; improving communications and flow of information so that we all know about the 68+ programs, the support systems in place for success and SWOCC’s vision for the future.

I want to listen to and develop partnerships within our communities to explore how we can further grow career pathways and increase enrollment for both or our campuses. I also work as a volunteer chaplain. In this role, I work with community members who are housing and food insecure. I want to facilitate those who are impacted by our community economic realities, connecting them to career path opportunities, for both Coos and Curry Campuses.

We have a strong Board, I want to continue our work for the students.

I have successfully served on the SWOCC Board for these past four years. During that time we have improved and grown new student opportunities for successful career pathways and preparation for 4 year transfers. This is due to a cohesive board that works well together with administration. Existing programs have been strengthened, new programs continue to be added. In support of my work on the board, I bring 30 years of experience in education. I taught in a rural elementary school setting then at a 4 year state university. During my tenure there I was responsible for teaching, curriculum development and varied leadership roles. I served as Vice-chair on the policy committee informing the work I now perform on the SWOCC Board.

I would not redistribute resources. Both programs provide rich opportunities for student success. The students currently have 70 programs from which to find their career path forward. We are fortunate to have a robust innovative admin team that is continually writing grants to provide even more pathways for our students. In the fall, we will offer a Diesel Mechanic program. We have successfully launched a pre-apprenticeship program for students who want to be heavy equipment operators. We will continue to grow more opportunities in the trades. We continue to improve our articulation with 4 year universities for those who want to transfer. Every year I feel so proud to see our students cross the graduation stage ready to move forward!