Opening Day on Sept. 12 marked several celebrations of employee contributions to the college. Employees were recognized for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years of service to the college. Three employees–Facilities Services Maintenance Mechanic Daniel Simonson, Engineering professor Christina Barsotti, and Mathematics professor Tracy Nehnevaj–earned recognition for 25 years of service to the college, while Stage Manager Mark Owsley stepped out from behind the backdrop to accept a plaque for 30 years of service. And, in a surprise gesture, Board of Trustees chair Jada Rupley presented President Bob Knight with a Clark basketball jersey commemorating his 10th anniversary as college president.

“Currently the average tenure of a community college president is three and a half years,” noted Rupley. “We’re lucky to have someone who’s remained dedicated to our college for 10 years.”

Additionally, the recipients of the annual Exceptional Faculty Awards and quarterly Classified Staff Excellence Awards were recognized. The faculty awards are announced at Commencement and the quarterly Classified staff awards are announced each quarter. Additionally, two Classified Excellence Award nominees were announced to be recipients of the annual Exceptional Classified Staff Awards: Aleksandr Anisimov and Tia Schmidt.

Five Clark College employees received Presidential Coins during Opening Day. Introduced in 2007 by President Bob Knight, the coin is given to faculty and staff members who provide exemplary service to Clark students, the college and the community. The honorees are decided by the president and are kept secret until the names are announced–generally on Opening Day in the fall or during the annual State of the College address in January. The newest coin recipients are:

Sean Janson

Sean Janson started at Clark as an assistant men’s soccer coach in 2007. He became head coach of the women’s soccer team in 2014, and has led the Penguins to be one of the most dominant forces in their league. In 2017, they won the Northwest Athletic Conference South Region Title for the first time in college history. Additionally, the team held a 2.94 cumulative GPA, and eight out of nine sophomores on the team signed letters of intent at four-year institutions.

Roberta Roche

Roberta Roche first joined Clark in 1973 as a part-time Clerk-Typist. She has served in several positions and departments over her four decades at Clark; currently, she is a Program Specialist 2 in the Office of Financial Aid, where she serves as the central point of contact for outside agencies who provide funding for students. During the 2016-2017 year, she processed more than $1.2 million in outside agency funding. Knight remarked, “One outside agency representative recently commented that he has worked with numerous colleges, and the support and direction that she provided far outweighed any other help that he had received.”

Sherry Smith

Sherry Smith serves as the STEM Administrative Services Manager. She was commended for her role in moving departments into the new STEM Building with few problems. “She works quietly but she is very effective in supporting the STEM unit,” said Knight.

Toccara Stark

Toccara Stark has served as Director of Marketing at Clark since August 2015 and, Knight said, “It is hard to think of anyone who has had such a great effect in such a short amount of time.” Stark has led the college’s rebranding effort and has been instrumental in many college initiatives. She also works regularly with Clark College Foundation and community stakeholders on behalf of the college.

Kristy Taylor

Faculty member Kristy Taylor was recently named the director of Clark’s Dental Hygiene program after serving as interim director for two years. She oversaw the program’s recent and successful accreditation review. Taylor also serves on several college committees, including Academic Planning. Knight called her “a strong advocate for Clark students.”

To see more photos from Opening Day, visit the college’s Flickr album.

Read more about Opening Day on our news site.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley