Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016 is one of a series of paintings from Stephen Hayes’ project In the Hour Before, for which he received a 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship. Image courtesy of Stephen Hayes/Elizabeth Leach Gallery.

Clark College is proud to announce that adjunct art instructor Stephen Hayes has been named a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow in Fine Arts. Hayes is one of 175 scholars, artists, and scientists from the U.S. and Canada to receive this honor from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

“As one of the few community colleges in the state to offer an Associate in Fine Arts degree, Clark College takes pride in the high level of quality of the faculty members who teach in our studio arts programs,” said Professor Lisa Conway, chair of the college’s art department. “We are thrilled, though in no way surprised, by Stephen’s latest accomplishment.”

Hayes has taught classes including drawing, color design, and two-dimensional design at Clark since 2012, shortly after he presented a lecture during the college’s popular Clark Art Talks series. Besides Clark, his teaching experience includes Oregon State University and Yarmouk University. As an artist, Hayes has held over 35 solo exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, and his works are housed in the collections of the New York Public Library, the Frans Masereel Centrum voor Grafiek in Kasterlee, Belgium, The Portland Art Museum, The Hallie Ford Museum, The Gates Foundation, Lewis and Clark College and more than 100 private and public collections in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Hayes, who lives in Portland, will use the fellowship’s funding to pursue a project titled In The Hour Before, in which he uses Google Earth to view places that have been affected by gun violence and paints them as they would be seen in the hour before the violent event took place.

“It is both exciting and humbling to be awarded this fellowship,” said Hayes. “So many artists are as deserving of this kind of recognition. I have worked with focus for a long time and have gotten a few breaks over the years with exhibitions, grants, and awards. This one feels as if it can not only be a recognition for past efforts, but also can open doors to new possibilities.

More information about Stephen Hayes is available at www.gf.org/fellows/all-fellows/stephen-hayes/ and at his website, www.stephenhayes.net.

On Thursday, April 19, Clark College’s 2018 Sakura Festival will honor the historic ties of friendship between the sister-cities of Vancouver, Washington, and Joyo, Japan.

The festival will begin at 1:00 p.m. with opening remarks near the Royce E. Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden, which is located next to the Beacock Music Hall on Clark’s main campus. Dignitaries who are scheduled to speak include Mayor Anne McEnerny Ogle, John Kageyama, and Clark College Japanese Scholarship recipient Suzuka Hitomi.

The opening ceremony will include a koto performance by Yukiko Vossen and a performance by the Clark College Women’s Choral Ensemble. The koto, a stringed musical instrument, is the national instrument of Japan.

From 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., the Sakura celebration will continue in the Gaiser Student Center, where guests will enjoy family-friendly cultural activities including performances by the Clark College Japanese Cultural Club, traditional dancing by Takako Hara, a greeting from the college’s Child & Family Studies program, and drumming by members of Portland Taiko. Cookies and tea will be served. Information about the Sakura Ceremony is available at www.clark.edu/cc/sakura.

All events are free and open to the public. The Sakura Festival is sponsored by Clark College, the City of Vancouver, and the Vancouver Rotary.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP) or visit the Penguin Union Building room 013.

Clark College Vice President of Instruction Dr. Tim Cook with 2018 All-Washington Academic Team members Madysen Saucedo and Carlos Hunt.

On March 22, three outstanding students represented Clark College at the 23rd annual All-Washington Academic Team ceremony, honoring 78 students from Washington State for their academic excellence and community service.

The All-Washington Academic Team is a program of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges. Top students from each of Washington state’s 34 community and technical colleges were honored at the annual ceremony, which was held at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia; each received a medal and a $250 scholarship from KeyBank, and will become eligible for additional transfer scholarships from in-state colleges and universities.

The three Clark College team members are:

Carlos Hunt

After many years of working in construction, Carlos Hunt realized that he wanted to find work that was less physically taxing and more intellectually stimulating. Since coming to Clark College, he has developed an interest in social justice and public administration. “I want to help people in an empowering way which inspires them to share whatever talent they have with others,” he says.

Diane Hurst

Diane Hurst

After many years of staying home with her children to home-school them, Diane Hurst came to Clark College to learn skills that would help her financially support herself and her family. She is now completing an Associate of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design, which she says allows her to explore her creativity. Outside of school, she volunteers at her church and is working on marketing her own line of greeting cards.

Madysen Saucedo

Madysen Saucedo was 15 years old when she began taking classes at Clark College through Running Start. While it was an adjustment to sit in classrooms with students older than her own parents, she says she has appreciated the academic challenge she experienced at Clark. She plans to transfer to Arizona State University, where she will continue studying mathematics to pursue her goal of becoming an actuary—and becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college.

Nan Henriksen at the 2018 Iris Awards.

On March 8, while people around the world celebrated International Women’s Day, members of the local community gathered in Gaiser Student Center to honor four women’s contributions to Southwest Washington at the 2018 Iris Awards.

Guests enjoyed refreshments and light fare provided by Beaches Restaurant as they celebrated the honorees. Ceremonies began with a greeting from Clark College President Bob Knight, after which the evening was turned over to emcee Kelly Love, public and community affairs representative at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. Love introduced speeches by both the honorees and their nominators.

This year’s Iris Award recipients were:

• Julie Bocanegra of Columbia Credit Union
• Juliana Marler of the Port of Vancouver
• Nancy Retsinas of the Retsinas Collaborative Law Center
• Nan Henriksen, former Mayor of Camas and chair of the Clark County Board of Freeholders

This annual ceremony has a long tradition in this community. The event began in 1985 as a photography exhibit during Women’s History Week, which later developed into a larger awards program and ceremony known as the Southwest Washington Women of Achievement Awards. In 2012, the event was reintroduced as the Iris Awards with the same core mission: honoring the women of Southwest Washington for their outstanding contributions in the categories of public, private, philanthropic, and civic service.

The 2018 Iris Award Recipients

Julie Bocanegra

Julie Bocanegra accepts her 2018 Iris Award from John Deeder.

The first honoree to take the stage was Julie Bocanegra, Vice President and Branch Manager for Columbia Credit Union, where she began her career as a teller in 1994. Since 2012, she has also served on the Evergreen School District Board of Directors, where she has been instrumental in leading the district’s student equity and technology learning initiatives. She is also the former Board Chair of the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce and is the former Board President for Evergreen Little League, along with many other volunteer commitments.

“She will volunteer till the cows come home because she wants this to be the best community in the world,” said recently retired Evergreen superintendent John Deeder, who nominated Bocanegra for the award and introduced her during the ceremony. “And because of people like Julie, I believe that it is.”

Bocanegra smiled as she took the podium, noting that this night reminded her of her first job as a teenager, sorting and packing flower bulbs and tubers, including those of irises. As a teenager, she said, she would never have imagined that one day she would be receiving an award named after that flower for her contributions to the community.

Bocanegra went on to describe her life’s unexpected trajectory, from a recent high school graduate trying to find her purpose to a bank teller to her current leadership position. Similarly, she recounted how a decision to coach her son’s Little League team led to greater and greater volunteer roles within her community, often focused around youth and education.

“What we want for our own children, we have to want for every child in our community,” she said.

Julianna Marler

Julianna Marler, right accepts her 2018 Iris Award from Lisa Lowe.

Next, an award was presented to Julianna Marler, the CEO of the Port of Vancouver USA. Marler is the first female CEO in the port’s 105-year history and one of just a handful of female port CEOs in the United States. In addition to her leadership role at the port, Marler serves on the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Great Portland Inc. Board of Directors, American Association of Port Authorities Board of Directors, and the Washington State University Vancouver Advisory Council.

“She has given women at the port a sense of pride and let them know that they can rise into position of leadership there,” said Lisa Lowe of the law firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt in introducing Marler. (Lowe was herself a 2013 Iris Award honoree.) “She applies a sense of humor to things that is intelligent and not always respectful—which is probably why I like her.”

Marler began her remarks by traveling back in time even farther than Bocanegra did. “Fifty years ago today, on March 8, 1968, my parents—who are here with me tonight—immigrated to the United States,” she noted. “They left Hungary because they wanted a better life and education for their children.”

Marler noted that the port is an important source of jobs and commerce in the region, and expressed pride in its vital place in Southwest Washington’s economy. “Fifty year ago today, my parents came to this country to provide a better future for their children, and today I get to be part of creating a better future for others,” she said.

Nancy Retsinas

Nancy Retsinas at the 2018 Iris Awards.

Nancy Retsinas was also introduced by a former Iris Award recipient, Lisa Schauer of PointNorth Consulting.

“Nancy has transformed the legal profession, aligning her practice to her values,” said Schauer.

Retsinas is a collaborative lawyer and family law mediator in Washington and Oregon, in private practice since 1991. She is co-founder and executive director of the Two River Institute for Dispute Resolution, a nonprofit educational organization. Retsinas currently serves as Northwest regional chair of the Global Collaborative Law Council, board treasurer of the Collaborative Professionals of Washington, board president for Cappella Romana Choral Ensemble, and board director for the Children’s Center.

Retsinas began her remarks by noting that she, like both Bocanegra and Marler, had attended Clark herself, and so “this place has always felt like home to me, so it’s really special to be receiving this award here.”

She went on to describe the arc of her career, which began in courtrooms doing traditional, adversarial law. “To swoop into court to defend the innocent or maligned—that felt pretty good,” Retsinas said, but added that eventually she became uncomfortable with this model of legal practice and “set out to find my superpower, so to speak.”

Through working with nonprofits, Retsinas said, she began to realize her purpose: to change the culture of conflict resolution in Southwest Washington. And, she added, she discovered that “true power lies in finding your purpose and expressing it to the world.”

Retsinas said that her current work at the Retsinas Collaborative Law Center, which she founded in 2015, allows her to do just that. And she offered this advice to young women in the audience: “Trust your gut, discover your own superpowers, harness them for good, and achieve your purpose.”

Nan Henriksen

Nan Henriksen accepts the 2018 Iris Legacy Award from Judie Stanton.

The final honoree of the evening, Nan Henriksen, was no stranger to awards ceremonies. Indeed, she had received a Women of Achievement Award (the original name of the Iris Awards) in 1995, and tonight was receiving the Legacy Award, bestowed on a previous awardee who has continued to make significant contributions to her community. Henriksen certainly qualifies: The former Camas mayor recently came out of retirement to lead the Clark County Freeholder Board formed to create the county’s first home-rule charter.

“She hasn’t slowed down a bit, probably because she gets up every day at 5:15,” said her friend Judie Stanton, herself the 2017 Legacy Award recipient. “She gets a lot done.”

Henriksen received the award with grace and humor, noting that she’d tried to force herself to start writing an inspirational speech for the evening, but instead became intimidated by the task and “ate my weight in popcorn and played solitaire on my phone for two hours.” Henriksen then pointed out the larger moral of that story: “Those of us working out in the community, we do the things we do in spite of these fears of inadequacy, not because we don’t have them.”

Henriksen also noted that people can contribute to the community in many different ways. While Henriksen is probably most known for her work in leading Camas through a difficult economic transition as one of its major employers began to shut down, she said that one of the accomplishments she is most proud of is becoming a foster grandmother to a girl who went on to successfully enter college.

“You can do it on a bigger scale or on a smaller scale,” she said. “What’s important is that you decide, ‘If I care enough and I’m brave enough, I can make a difference.’”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley. To see more photos from this event, visit our Flickr album. 

This article was updated March 29, 2018, to correct Lisa Schauer’s current position and to include a link for more photos.

Felicia Lewkowicz, front right, stands with her family before they were exterminated by the Nazis. Photo courtesy of the Holocaust Center for Humanity.

On March 13, Clark College hosts Matthew Erlich of the Holocaust Center for Humanity as he describes the journey of his mother, an Auschwitz survivor.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 1:00 p.m. in Gaiser Student Center on Clark’s main campus, located at 1933 Ft. Vancouver Way. For maps and directions, visit www.clark.edu/maps.

Matthew’s presentation begins with a slide of Felicia as a young girl surrounded by her large family. One at a time her sisters, brothers, and parents disappear, leaving only Felicia and one sister and connecting her family to the stories of millions during the Holocaust.
Felicia Lewkowicz was born in Krakow, Poland in 1923. In March 3, 1941, the Nazis established the Krakow ghetto and Jews were required to wear armbands.

Felicia and one brother were sent by the Nazis to the Krakow ghetto while her mother and other siblings were sent to Tarnow, 70 miles away. Conditions in the ghetto were terrible, with very little food. Illness and disease ranrampant. Luckily, Felicia was able to get work outside the ghetto, cleaning the offices of German officers. One day she did not return to the ghetto, escaping to a train that took her to Vienna, Austria. On the way, she stopped in Tarnow where she saw her family for the last time.

Erlich’s story travels with Felicia through her experiences during the Holocaust and ultimately to the United States, where she and her husband, also a Holocaust survivor, raised four sons.

“People need to see where hatred leads,” Erlich says. “Especially today with the rise of neo-Nazi groups, Holocaust deniers, and those who would attack others for their differences. My mother’s Holocaust experience shows what can happen – and offers ways to fight against it.”

This event is organized and sponsored by the Associated Students of Clark College. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/2thpmS5.

If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP), or visit Gaiser Hall room 137, as soon as possible.

About Clark College

Located in Vancouver’s Central Park and serving more than 12,000 students per quarter, Clark College is Southwest Washington’s oldest public institution of higher education. The college currently offers classes at two satellite locations: one on the Washington State University Vancouver campus and one in the Columbia Tech Center in East Vancouver. Additionally, its Economic & Community Development program is housed in the Columbia Bank building in downtown Vancouver.

About the Holocaust Center for Humanity

Connecting lessons of the Holocaust to a broad range of relevant themes for our time, from injustice and bullying to discrimination, the Holocaust Center for Humanity has been teaching students to become engaged citizens and to speak out against bigotry and prejudice since 1989. The Center works directly with teachers, students, and community groups across the Northwest to provide educational materials, curriculum,
and interaction with local Holocaust survivors who tell their stories to 20,000 students of all ages each year. In 2015, the Center opened its museum to the public. 15,000 students of all ages tour the Center’s exhibits during a school year.

Clark College Theatre continues its 2017-2018 season with the classic 1960s musical Hair.

This vibrant, trippy product of the hippie counterculture and sexual revolution features several songs that became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. With book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot, Hairbroke new ground in musical theatre by defining the genre of “rock musical.” It tells the story of the “tribe,” a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the “Age of Aquarius” living a bohemian life in New York City.

The cast includes: Andrew Hallas, Jared Pengra, Tim Busch**, Zak Campbell**, Sammy Williams*, Breanna Kurth, Danielle Plesser, Kate Cummings, Christina Taft**, Moe Lewis, Tristan Colo**, Linda Owsley**, Ryan Larson*, Haley Phillips*. The director is Gene Biby and April Duvic provides vocal direction. (Note: Cast member names marked with a single asterisk are current Clark College students; double asterisks indicate Clark College alumni.)

Sets were decorated by the Clark Art Club.

Although the show premiered in 1968, it contains adult themes, language, and content. Brief nudity does occur. For more photos of the show, visit Clark’s Flickr album.

Show Dates: Feb. 23 and 24, March 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10. All show times are at 7:30 p.m. in the Decker Theatre, Frost Arts Center, on Clark College’s main campus.

Ticket Information: Students (with ID) $10; Alumni (with membership) $10; Senior Citizens $16; General Admission $20. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.clarkbookstore.com/site_theatre.asp, or call 360-992-2815.

If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP), or visit Gaiser Hall room 137, as soon as possible.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

On Thursday, March 1, specialists from Clark College’s Financial Aid Office, as well as representatives from local nonprofits, will be on hand to answer questions from prospective students and parents about navigating the world of financial aid.

Clark’s annual Financial Aid Night and Funding Fair provides information about Clark’s admission process, scholarship opportunities, financial aid grants and loans, how to apply, and much more.

The event will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Gaiser Student Center on Clark College’s main campus. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA 98663. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

This event is free and open to the public; it requires no advance registration or reservation. Information is available at the Clark website at http://www.clark.edu/cc/fan. If you have any additional questions, please direct them to Clark College’s Financial Aid Office in Gaiser Hall at 360-992-2153 or finaidoutreach@clark.edu.

Along with helpful presentations and one-on-one assistance, the event will include a computer lab with experts to help complete the FAFSA (federal financial aid form) and/or WASFA (state financial aid form for Dreamers). Additionally, free pizza will be served to the first 150 guests and Clark College is waiving its standard application fee for anyone who applies to the college that night.

Organizers recommend bringing the following items to the event:

• 2017 tax information or return
• Social Security Number and/or Alien Registration Number
• Records of untaxed income
• Cash, savings, and checking account balances
• Investments other than the home in which you live

Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services (DSS) Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP). The DSS office is located in room 013 in Clark’s Penguin Union Building.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

King Elementary students enjoy their new books in 2015, donated through the Clark College Bookstore’s annual book drive.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know,” wrote Theodor Geisel (aka “Dr. Seuss”). “The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” It is with this idea in mind that Clark College has chosen Vancouver’s King Elementary School as the beneficiary of its tenth annual book drive, which runs Feb. 12-28.

Over the past nine years, the Clark College Bookstore has helped provide more than 1,100 books to local kindergartners. This year’s book selection is Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham, a favorite among children for six decades. Geisel wrote the book in 1960 after a publisher dared him to write a children’s story using no more than 50 words.

The community is invited to help purchase 85 copies of the Dr. Seuss classic to be given to kindergartners at King Elementary on Read Across America Day (March 2), a celebration to commemorate Geisel’s birthday. Books will be read aloud to students by volunteers from the Clark College Bookstore.

Research has shown that having age-appropriate books in the home promotes literacy in children. But according to the National Center for Children in Poverty, two-thirds of children from low-income families lack access to books. Clark College Bookstore Manager Monica Knowles, who has helped organize the book drive for many years, says that she often hears from her volunteers that this gift was the only book a kindergartner owned.

Copies of the selected Dr. Seuss books are available for purchase and donation Feb. 12-28 for $6.85 each (plus tax). Each book will include a nameplate with the donor’s name. Donors will be able to purchase books at the Bookstore or online via the Bookstore’s website at www.clarkbookstore.com, making it quick and convenient to participate in the book drive.

The Clark College Bookstore is located in Gaiser Hall on the northern end of Clark’s main campus. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Information about the bookstore is available at www.clarkbookstore.com. For additional information, contact Monica Knowles at the Clark College Bookstore at 360-992-2904.

Four women representing exceptional leadership, philanthropy and community service are the winners of the 2018 Iris Awards, honoring women of achievement in Southwest Washington. They will be honored at an awards reception on Thursday, March 8.

Awards will be presented to Julie Bocanegra, Vice President for Columbia Credit Union, and Julianna Marler, CEO of the Port of Vancouver. H-ROC, a non-partisan political action committee dedicated to the advancement of elected and appointed female leaders in Southwest Washington, has chosen Nancy Retsinas of the Retsinas Collaborative Law Center for the Iris Award they sponsor. Last year, the Iris Awards added a new category, the Legacy Award, for previous winners who have continued to be leaders in Southwest Washington. This year’s winner is Nan Henriksen, the former mayor of Camas who also served as the chair of the Board of Freeholders in Clark County that helped write the county’s home-rule charter.

The award ceremony takes place in Gaiser Student Center on Clark College’s main campus. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the ceremony begins at 6:00 p.m. The event is open to the public and tickets are on sale through the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce at http://www.vancouverusa.com/events/details/2018-iris-awards-reception-15961. The cost is $35 per person. A table sponsorship, which includes eight tickets, can be purchased for $310. Seating is limited.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Anyone needing accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at (360) 992-2314 or (360) 991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building room 013, by February 26.

About the Iris Awards

The Iris Awards follow in the tradition of the Southwest Washington Women of Achievement Awards, which began in 1985 at Clark College. In 2012, the event was reintroduced as the Iris Awards, still celebrated on or around International Women’s Day (March 8) and with the same core mission: honoring the lasting and far-reaching contributions of women in Southwest Washington and beyond.

This year’s awards are sponsored by Clark College, the Clark College Foundation, the Vancouver Business Journal, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, and H-RoC. The Iris Award winners will be featured in the Vancouver Business Journal’s 2018 “Women in Business” directory, the only Portland/Vancouver metro area directory of businesses that are owned, directed or managed by women.

2017 Iris Award Recipients

Julie Bocanegra

Julie Bocanegra

Beyond her full-time work as a Vice President/Branch Manager for Columbia Credit Union, Bocanegra serves on the Evergreen School District Board of Directors. Professionally, Bocanegra’s passion for teamwork and approachable leadership style have grown in influence since joining Columbia CU as a teller in 1994. Most recently, in addition to managing one of the credit union’s busiest branches, she was tapped to create and teach curriculum for key organization-wide training initiatives for Columbia CU, Washington State’s ninth-largest credit union and Clark County’s largest holder of deposits.

Appointed in 2012, elected the following year, and then re-elected again in 2017, Bocanegra has served as Vice Chair and then Chair of the Evergreen School District Board of Directors, the fifth-largest school district in Washington State. Bocanegra has been instrumental in leading the district’s student equity and technology learning initiatives. Under her leadership, the district eliminated student user fees for athletics, opened elementary school Community Resource Centers, and moved to a 1:1 technology curriculum.

Bocanegra is a former Board Chair of the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce, and has served in a variety of leadership capacities, including Board President, for the Evergreen Little League.

Julianna Marler

Julianna Marler

Julianna Marler is the CEO of the Port of Vancouver USA. She has provided steady leadership during a time of tremendous growth and change at the port. Prior to becoming CEO in January 2017, she was the port’s Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. She is the first female CEO in the port’s history and one of just a handful of female port CEOs in the United States.

The Port of Vancouver USA and its tenants provide 3,200 jobs in the community and generate $2.9 billion in annual economic benefit. Marler has been a key leader at the port as it has partnered with the City of Vancouver and private developers to transform the city’s downtown and waterfront into a destination. She has also partnered with sister ports in Clark County and beyond to spur additional economic development and job growth across the region.

Marler currently serves on the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Greater Portland Inc. Board of Directors, American Association of Port Authorities Board of Directors, and the Washington State University Vancouver Advisory Council.

Nancy Retsinas

Nancy Retsinas

Nancy Retsinas is a collaborative lawyer and family law mediator in Washington and Oregon, in private practice since 1991. In 2015, she established Retsinas Collaborative Law Center to align her values to her legal work. She now commits her practice to non-court dispute resolution, and finds her collaborative approach to problem-solving results in better long-term outcomes for her clients and their families.

Co-founder and executive director of the Two Rivers Institute for Dispute Resolution, Retsinas leads and trains in a non-profit educational organization formed to deliver innovative collaborative law and legal team-building training for family law professionals across disciplines (legal, mental health, financial). The Institute also provides a valuable resource for families looking for well-trained collaborative professionals in the Vancouver/Portland Metropolitan area so the public can find professionals who are committed to peaceful problem-solving. Retsinas has been training legal professionals in client-centered dispute resolution methods since 2008. She is a contributing author to Washington Practice Manual – Family Law, a West Publication (2016), and Building a Successful Collaborative Law Practice, an American Bar Association publication (2018).

Retsinas has always been an active champion and a hands-on volunteer for the Southwest Washington community. When Retsinas joins an organization, her commitment to empowerment, her natural ability to facilitate a dialogue, and her consensus-building approach make her an essential leader.

Her current nonprofit leadership roles include: Regional Chair, Northwest Region, Global Collaborative Law Council; Board Treasurer, Collaborative Professionals of Washington; Board President for Cappella Romana Choral Ensemble; and Board Director for the Children’s Center.

Nan Henriksen

Nan Henriksen

Nan Henriksen has had a profound effect on Southwest Washington. Not only has she improved the community, she has helped shape it—most significantly as the first woman elected mayor of Camas from 1983 to 1992, and later as the chair of the Board of Freeholders, which drafted the county home-rule charter. Henriksen is widely praised in the community for her ability to be calm and thoughtful in her approach to difficult problems.

Recently, National Public Radio interviewed Henriksen about her role in helping Camas prepare for the day when the Georgia Pacific paper mill would no longer be the primary economic driver in the city. Her work is largely credited with Camas becoming a model for other cities as they had to transition away from traditional industries. She had a vision for diversifying the economy and paved the way for high-tech companies like WaferTech, Underwriter Laboratories, and Linear Technology to locate in Camas.

Henriksen came out of retirement to run for and then lead the 15-member Freeholder Board that was charged with writing Clark County’s first home-rule charter. Despite diverse opinions and needs, Henriksen helped the group find common ground and presented a final plan that was approved by voters in 2014.

Along the way, Henriksen has been awarded the Clark County First Citizen Award (2015), Statesman of the Year by Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (2014), and Camas Political Leader of the Century in 2006. She was first named a Woman of Achievement, which was the original name of the Iris Awards, in 1995.

Cheston Knapp. Photo: Alexis Knapp

The Clark College Columbia Writers Series continues its 2017-2018 season with Cheston Knapp, managing editor of the award-winning literary magazine Tin House. He will discuss his work and read from his new collection of essays, Up Up, Down Down.

This event, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Thursday, February 15, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in Penguin Union Building (PUB) room 258A-B on Clark College’s main campus.

Cheston Knapp is managing editor of Tin House, a literary magazine based in Portland, Oregon. He graduated with a degree in English from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is the recipient of a 2015 Oregon Literary Fellowship from Literary Arts and the executive director of the Tin House Summer Writers’ Workshop. His work has appeared in Tin House and One Story. Up Up, Down Down is his first book. It has received critical praise from the literary world, including this evaluation by Joshua Ferris, author of And Then We Came to the End: “Offering up a steady supply of perfectly chosen words in precision-guided sentences, Cheston Knapp will either break your heart or jolt your spine, and quite possibly bring some of us back to life.”

The Columbia Writers Series was launched at Clark College in 1988, bringing local, national and international authors to the college and the region. This year’s lineup of authors continues with:

• May 14, 2018: Roger Reeves, Pushcart Prize-winning poet
• May 17, 2018: Kate Berube, children’s book author and illustrator

Information about the Columbia Writers Series is available at www.clark.edu/cc/cws.

This event is held on Clark College’s main campus at 1933 Ft. Vancouver Way. Directions and maps are available online. Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services (DSS) Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP). The DSS office is located in room 013 in Clark’s Penguin Union Building.