The 2014 Iris Award honorees: Kris M. Henriksen, Program Coordinator at the Clark County Department of Community Services; Kristy Weaver, Senior Vice President/Team Leader at Pacific Continental Bank; and Sherri McMillan, owner of Northwest Personal Training.

Three women who are leaders in youth advocacy; health and wellness; and business and banking are the winners of the 2014 Iris Awards, honoring women of achievement in Southwest Washington.

The awards will be presented to Kris M. Henriksen, Program Coordinator at the Clark County Department of Community Services; Sherri McMillan, owner of Northwest Personal Training; and Kristy Weaver, Senior Vice President/Team Leader at Pacific Continental Bank.

Henriksen, McMillan, and Weaver will be honored on March 13 (five days after International Women’s Day), in Clark College’s Gaiser Student Center. Following a 5 p.m. reception, the awards ceremony will begin at 6 p.m.

Tickets are on sale through the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are $35.00 per person. Seating is limited.

The Iris Awards are supported by Clark College, the Clark College Foundation, Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and the Vancouver Business Journal, which publishes the “Women in Business” directory, the only Portland/Vancouver metro area directory of businesses that are owned, directed or managed by women. The Iris Award winners will be featured in the 2014 “Women in Business” directory.

The 2014 Iris Award Recipients

Kris M. Henriksen

Kris M. Henriksen is the Program Coordinator at the Clark County Department of Community Services. For the past 10 years, Henriksen has been the driving force behind creating, developing, and sustaining TeenTalk, a peer-to-peer support line that is youth-led and continually evolving.  The program has received national recognition for its innovative, youth-driven marketing plan.

For her work, Henriksen received the Anne Turner Excellence in Volunteer Management Award in 2011. She has recruited and trained more than 170 youth volunteers.

Henriksen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in behavioral sciences from Concordia University and has put in more than 350 training hours in Building on Developmental Assets, Mental Illness Awareness, Crisis Response, Wraparound Team Facilitation, Community Networking, Cultural Competency, Building on Natural Supports, Mediation Skills, Motivational Interviewing, Developing Family Strengths, Youth Advocacy, Interpersonal Communication, and Humanizing the Workplace.

Outside of her day-to-day work, Henriksen is certified to teach Youth Mental Health First Aid classes in the community. She has helped to coordinate Challenge Day programs in two local high schools each year for the last four years, and volunteers as part of the City of Camas Board of Adjustments, Children’s Sharing Project.

Sherri McMillan

Sherri McMillan is the owner of Northwest Personal Training, celebrating its 14th anniversary in downtown Vancouver. Her company has been recognized as the BBB Business of the Year, Chamber of Commerce Community Builder Award winner and voted No. 1 Fitness & Training studio by the Columbian and the Vancouver Business Journal.

McMillan holds a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for nearly 25 years. She has received numerous industry awards including 2010 CanFitPro International Fitness Presenter of the Year, 2006 IDEA Fitness Director of the Year, 1998 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, and 1998 CanFitPro Fitness Presenter of the Year.

In addition to being a fitness trainer, McMillan is a fitness columnist for various magazines and newspapers (including the Columbian); author of five books and manuals including Go For Fit – the Winning Way to Fat Loss, and Fit over Forty; featured presenter in various fitness DVDs; international fitness presenter; and a spokesperson for Nike, Schwinn and PowerBar.

She is also the Event Director for a number of very successful local events including the Girlfriends Run for a Cure, the Girlfriends & Dudes Triathlon, the Summer Solstice and March Muddy Madness. She has participated in numerous community fundraising events including Dancing with the Stars and Glamorous Gams and has raised nearly $500,000 for local charities over the years. She can be found running, biking or hiking with her daughter, Brianna, and her son, Jackson.

Kristy Weaver

Kristy Weaver is the Senior Vice President and Southwest Washington Team Leader at Pacific Continental Bank, focusing her efforts on developing commercial and non-profit relationships. With nearly 25 years of experience in the banking industry, Weaver’s professional and action-oriented style complements the overall management of Pacific Continental Bank.

Weaver serves on the board of directors at the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, the Children’s Center, and the Legacy Health Salmon Creek Hospital Foundation. Weaver also actively participates in a variety of community and civic organizations including the Community Foundation Professional Advisory Council and Vancouver’s Downtown Association’s First Friday Artwalk.

She graduated from Northwest Intermediate Commercial Lending School and the Western Banking School of Bank Management. She is currently enrolled in Pacific Coast Banking School, a national graduate school for banking, and will complete her program this summer.

Weaver is a native of Washougal who calls Vancouver her home. She has been married to her husband, Kevin, for nine years. They are devoted to their dog, Jackson, who was adopted from the Humane Society of Southwest Washington.  Avid golfers, they love to retreat to Manzanita, Oregon whenever time allows. The most valued things to Weaver are family, friends and community.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Special Advisor for Diversity and Equity Sirius Bonner

Sirius Bonner, Clark College special advisor for diversity and equity, was presented with the Compass Award at the Urban Spark Collective’s fourth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast, held January 18 in Clark College’s Gaiser Student Center.

The Compass Award is given to an individual or organization that carves a new path for diversity and inclusion in education, in the workplace, or through community engagement. As Special Advisor for Diversity and Equity, Bonner advises and supports Clark College’s Executive Cabinet, College Council, Cultural Pluralism Committee and the entire college community. Since joining Clark in 2011, Bonner has introduced new programs to the college; brought a sharper focus to issues of power, privilege and inequity; overseen the opening of a new Diversity Center on the main campus; and expanded the number of opportunities for faculty, students, and staff to build their skills.

Bonner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Before coming to Clark, she served as the Director of Multicultural Recruitment and the Multicultural Affairs Student Program Coordinator at Reed College and later as the Assistant Director of New Student Programs for Diversity Recruitment at Portland State University.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast is sponsored by a number of community organizations. The event is the brainchild of community activist Deena Pierott, who is the founder of diversity executive search firm Mosaic Blueprint. This year, the breakfast had a surprise guest: U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia), who worked with Dr. King in the Civil Rights movement, spoke to the assembled guests. In her remarks upon accepting the Compass Award, Bonner said she was inspired by Rep. Lewis, noting that he had inspired her to “get into trouble” in the quest for equity for all people.

Vancouver Mayor and Clark alumnus Tim Leavitt presented the award to Bonner. The event keynote speaker was Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia, an Oregon native and psychiatrist at Oregon Health & Science University.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

English instructor Alexis Nelson

English instructor Alexis Nelson has taught at Clark College for four years. Last year she became active in the committee that organizes the college’s Columbia Writers Series (CWS), which brings accomplished writers to the college to read from and discuss their work; the next installment of the series is on Monday, Nov. 18. Nelson, who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of California at Santa Barbara, has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Nonfiction Writing from Portland State University. Recently, Clark 24/7 chatted with her about CWS, as well as about a new English course she’s helping to develop and her own recent brush with literary fame.

I understand you’ve become part of the group that organizes Clark’s Columbia Writers Series. Could you tell me a little bit about that event and its purpose?

The Columbia Writers Series brings professional authors to campus to read from and talk about their work. We bring in local and national fiction writers, nonfiction writers, poets, playwrights and screenwriters. As for the purpose of the series, last year I had a student tell me she didn’t “get” poetry until she attended a CWS reading, with the poet Matthew Dickman. Hearing Dickman read his work helped this student appreciate and understand poetry in a new way, and it got her interested in attending more readings in the future. To me, that’s what CWS is all about: enriching the educational experience of Clark students by introducing them to contemporary authors and by exposing them to literature in a new way. The series also emphasizes Clark’s role as a center for arts and culture within the community, and it builds connections between Clark faculty, students, and members of the public.

CWS seems to be undergoing a sea change recently. What’s the thought process behind that, and what can we look forward to seeing at CWS in the future?

There is a core group of English department faculty that is really excited about CWS right now, and we’ve been putting a lot of work into getting great authors to come to campus and creating more awareness of our readings. We’re all writers ourselves, and we see so much opportunity to build this series into something truly special for Clark and the community. We’ve also been working on building stronger connections between CWS and some of the other exciting creative writing initiatives we have at Clark. For instance, last year, Clark’s art and literary journal, Phoenix, published a fantastic interview with one of our CWS readers, Charles D’Ambrosio. D’Ambrosio is an award-winning author with a national reputation, and having that in-depth interview with him was great for Phoenix, not to mention a wonderful opportunity for the student who conducted the interview. We’d love to be able to do more things like this in the future, in addition to continuing to bring in the best writers from the Northwest and beyond.

Tell me about this coming CWS reading.

I’m really excited about the November 18 reading for a couple of reasons. First, we’re going to have two writers: poet Zachary Schomburg and fiction-writer Ismet Prcic. Zachary and Ismet both won Oregon Book Awards this year, so this is a chance to hear two of the Northwest’s best contemporary writers share their work. I’m also especially excited for this reading because Ismet actually teaches at Clark—he’s an adjunct in the Drama department—so we’ll also be celebrating Clark’s talented faculty. Ismet was born in Bosnia and his award-winning novel Shards tells the story of a young Bosnian immigrant, so there’s also a connection between the November 18 reading and International Education Week, which will be happening at the same time.

I know you’ve been developing a Creative Nonfiction course at Clark. How did that come about, and what role do you think the course will fill at Clark?

Creative nonfiction is an important genre that has become a lot more prominent and popular in the last couple of decades. It’s a diverse genre that includes things like memoir, personal essay, travel writing, and even journalistic pieces that use some of the techniques of fiction-writing such as description and scene-building. If you look at other schools that offer fiction and poetry writing courses, most of them will have creative nonfiction writing classes as well. My MFA is in nonfiction writing, and I’m a nonfiction writer myself, so when I saw that there weren’t any creative nonfiction courses being offered at Clark, I wanted to design one. I think this class will help round out the creative writing offerings at Clark. It’s also an important course because this type of writing is fun and creative, but it also has practical applications. If you’re interested in writing for magazines, you need to know creative nonfiction. Being able to write a great personal essay will also help with college and scholarship applications.

How do Clark students respond to the coursework in this class?

When I taught nonfiction writing at Clark last spring, I had a number of Running Start students who were in their teens; there were also several returning students in their 30s and 40s. To me, this diversity is part of what makes Clark special. Particularly in a class where you’re writing from personal experience, having students who have been through a lot in their lives and others who are just beginning to figure out who they are makes for a dynamic class. The students were so respectful of one another, and I think that both the older and the younger students learned a lot from each another.

How has teaching this course informed your own writing process?

Teaching forces me to think about how different pieces of writing are put together, and to put into words ideas about craft that I might not otherwise fully articulate to myself. I also like to do all the writing exercises that I give my students along with them, and this can sometimes open unexpected doors for me and lead to new work. Overall, it’s just great to be immersed in reading, thinking, and talking about the kind of writing I’m most passionate about. It’s like breathing richer air.

Finally, I know you’re hesitant to talk about this, but your essay, “On Love and Memory,” was recently listed as a notable essay in The Best American Essays 2013. How does it feel to have your work recognized by such a prestigious publication? Also, since the original essay isn’t available online, could you share a little about its theme?

One of my grandmothers had dementia and the other currently has Alzheimer’s; so the essay is partly about what they’ve gone through and partly about my own fears of losing my memory.  It also, like the title suggests, explores the relationship between memory and love. The essay is structured like a collage, with short, discrete sections that are woven together to create a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a somewhat experimental kind of writing that I’ve been really excited by lately.

I was thrilled when the essay was published in the first place (in a great journal called The Normal School), but knowing that it stood out to the editor of the Best American Essays series feels even better. At the same time, it’s funny how quickly the initial excitement over getting news like that fades, in the sense that it doesn’t make the work any easier. I’d imagine that even getting a big book deal or winning a prestigious prize would be same. Afterward, you still have to go back to your desk and figure out how to put more words on the page.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Pathways Peer Mentors, left to right, Julie Mercado, Mark Damian, Alana Leon-Guerrero, Jamie Brindley-Bagent, Chantear Song, and Seunghyun Roh

Students who enroll in Basic Education at Clark College often find themselves facing a host of challenges.

What kind of challenges? “Oh my gosh, there are so many!” exclaims Pathways Peer Mentor Jamie Brindley-Bagent. “Everyone has different stories: if you don’t have money, if you don’t have parents to help you, if you don’t have a place to stay, if you think of yourself as dumb.”

Thankfully, students enrolled in Clark’s Adult Basic Education–as well as its English as a Second Language and IBEST programs–can turn to their Pathways Peer Mentors (PPMs) for support and advice when the road gets rough. PPMs are fellow students who have successfully transitioned from ABE, GED, and/or ESL programs to college-credit academic classes at Clark–or who are first-generation college students. Their unique experience gives them insight into the challenges faced by their peers, allowing them to provide necessary support, guidance and encouragement to help those peers stay in school and achieve their long-term educational goals.

This year’s Pathways Peer Mentors are:

Jamie Brindley-Bagent, 19, grew up in Vancouver. She is studying criminal psychology and hopes to earn her master’s degree in this field, eventually becoming a detective. “I know it’s really hard to go to college and I want to show people that they can do it,” she says.

Mark Damian, 17, grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is pursuing an associate transfer degree, with the goal of becoming an engineer. A Running Start student, he enjoys working as a Peer Mentor because “there’s a lot of opportunity to make new friends.”

Alana Leon-Guerrero, 21, is originally from the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. Currently studying for her Associate of Arts degree, she plans to transfer to Washington State University Vancouver after graduating from Clark. “I decided to become a Pathways Peer Mentor because I want to help people and let them know that there are a lot of resources on campus.”

Julie Mercado, 21, began at Clark taking ESL classes; she currently is enrolled in the I-BEST Academic program, which allows students to enroll in academic classes while simultaneously receiving Adult Basic Education assistance within the class. A native of Guadalajara, Mexico, she came to the United States at age 18. “Now that I am a Pathways Peer Mentor, I get the satisfaction of seeing how we help people,” says the aspiring elementary teacher.

Seunghyun Roh is from South Korea, where he learned to enjoy helping students during his time as an English tutor. Now studying at Clark through International Programs, he decided to become a Peer Mentor because he “wanted to have more experience with people from other countries.” He hopes to become an engineer.

Chantear Song, 26, grew up in Washington state. She is studying elementary education. “My goal for the future is to be a bright, influential teacher for students,” she says, adding that she chose to become a Pathways Peer Mentor to “challenge myself, get out of my comfort zone, and help people.”

This year, the PPMs have begun using a new tool in their work: bright-orange “Look for the Good and Praise It!” appreciation note cards. These notes offer students, staff, and others a vehicle for offering thanks and encouragement. “It’s one thing to talk about the power of appreciation; it’s another thing to experience its uplifting, invigorating impact,” says Marilyn Sprague, PPM Program Coordinator. “With the appreciation note cards, PPM mentors have a simple, easy-to-use tool guaranteed to build ABE/ESL students’ confidence.”

The notecards are available in the Pathways Center (TBG 229).

Story co-written with Suzanne Smith

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Bob ’50 and Sally ’55 Schaefer with Oswald at the Clark County First Citizen ceremony

Clark College alumnus Robert Bob Schaefer 50 has plenty of accomplishments and accolades to his name: former Washington state Speaker of the House, a Fifty-Year Award of Honor from the Washington State Bar Association, 2006 Outstanding Clark Alumnus. On Oct. 1, he added another honor to that list when he was formally named the 2013 Clark County First Citizen.

Schaefer joined a group of 71 other community standouts during a ceremony at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.

Pat Jollota, the 2012 First Citizen, presented this year’s award to Schaefer after lauding him as “a very wise person.” Others called him a “solutions person” with a gift for bringing people together to improve things in his community.

A video highlighted Schaefer’s career, volunteer activities and family life. The presentation touched upon how Schaefer and his wife, Sally, have worked for decades to ensure a brighter future for Southwest Washington. Some of Schaefer’s lifelong passions include early learning education; local government leadership; and economic development, particularly the high-tech industry. He was instrumental in establishing Washington State University’s Vancouver campus and in creating Paradise Point State Park.

The event had a definite Clark College connection from the beginning—with musical performances by Clark students—to the end, when Schaefer announced he was donating half of his $1,000 award to Clark College Foundation.

Such generosity has been a hallmark of Schaefer’s career. Schaefer, 83, explained to the audience how he and his sister were adopted as children and were raised to help others. He grew up in Clark County, attending Vancouver public schools and Clark College, where he met Sally (Clark College class of 1955, recipient of the 2012 Iris Award, and a First Citizen recipient herself). He later transferred to Willamette University to study law.

Clark College President Bob Knight, far right, and SEH Vice President of Operations Ben Bagherpour ’75, far left, congratulate Bob Schaefer ’50, center, on his award.

After passing the bar, he got a job with Clark County Prosecutor’s Office, while serving in the Army Reserves. He ran for the Washington State Legislature in 1958, spending $560 on his campaign. He won that election, going on to serve four terms, from 1959 to 1967, and serving as Speaker of the House in his last term.

Reflecting on his past political work, Schaefer bemoaned the lack of compromise and personal relationships between current political parties. “I think it’s a sad commentary of our system that these (personal relationships) are not taking place today,” he said.

On the day that the federal government partially shut down because of legislative stalemate, he reminded the audience that public officials must compromise: “You just don’t get your way,” he said. “It has to be worked out, and it has to be in the public interest.”

Schaefer wrapped up his remarks with a reminder that Vancouver is a “can-do community.”

“My prayer is that each of us can participate in some way to carry out this can-do philosophy for the future,” he said.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley (see more photos on Flickr)

Billy Henry began lifting weights as a teenager, an experience he found so empowering that he decided to create a nonprofit dedicated to promoting athletics and physical fitness among the blind and visually impaired.

Cast your mind back to your high school physical education classes and ask yourself: How many of those activities could you have done blindfolded? Basketball? No way. Relay races? Only if someone made significant changes to the way it was organized. Dodgeball? Please.

Small wonder, then, that almost 70 percent of all blind or visually impaired school-aged children in the U.S. never participate in any sort of sport, physical activity, or physical education program. The result is that many miss out on opportunities to boost their confidence, teamwork skills, and both physical and mental health. But thanks to Clark student Billy Henry, all that’s changing in the Pacific Northwest.

Henry, 21, is the executive director of the Northwest Association of Blind Athletes (NWABA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for blind and visually impaired people to participate in sports and physical activities. He founded the organization in 2007, when he was all of 15 years old.

Henry, who is legally blind due to a congenital condition called optic nerve hypoplasia, might well have become part of that 70 percent of non-active youth if he hadn’t discovered the sport of powerlifting in his teens. Energized by what he calls the “life-changing” boost in self-confidence and strength provided by competing in this sport, he decided to create the NWABA to share that feeling with other blind and visually impaired people.

“I just saw a real need in the community,” says Henry. “There are a lot of challenges to blind and visually impaired people joining sports and physical activities, and I wanted to give them that opportunity to gain confidence and self-esteem to carry into other parts of their lives.”

The organization started small, with just six people practicing powerlifting in the Henry family’s garage; Henry’s parents would make dinner for the team twice a week. “I got a couple friends to be on the board of directors—it took some arm-twisting,” recalls Henry, who at the time was attending Hudson’s Bay High School. “I sat down with a friend to fill out the 32-page IRS application for 501c3 [nonprofit] status. Fundraising was really challenging. We held a lot of bake sales.”

The effort paid off: Over the next six years, the organization grew in leaps and bounds. In 2012, more than 1,000 blind and visually impaired people participated in NWABA events, which now include activities like judo, tandem cycling, swimming, track and field, skiing, baseball, golf, and an adaptive form of ping pong called showdown. With an operating budget of $150,000, the organization has expanded its reach to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana; this summer, it hosted the 2013 National Goalball Championships, featuring a sport specifically developed for blind and visually impaired athletes.

Clark student Billy Henry became interested in weight lifting while still in high school, in part because the sport allowed him to compete on an even footing with sighted athletes. Here he holds a trophy from the World Association of Benchers and Dead Lifters.

Henry now operates out of an office in downtown Vancouver, which he moved into in the fall of 2010—the same time he enrolled at Clark to study business administration. “I chose Clark because it allowed me to stay local and I knew it had a good reputation for its disability support services,” says Henry. “They’re phenomenal. They’re really experienced with working with blind and visually impaired students and understanding each student’s individual needs.”

Clark College Director of Access Services Tami Jacobs says that the college has a high proportion of students who are blind or visually impaired, in part due to its proximity to the Washington State School for the Blind (just a block away from Clark’s main campus) and its strong working relationship with the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind. Jacobs says she and her staff work hard to provide a welcoming and supportive learning environment for students of all abilities. Jacobs says she has been impressed by Henry’s work ethic, both in class and with the NWABA. “He is driven, passionate, and looks for solutions outside of the box,” she says.

“It’s interesting, because at the nonprofit I get a lot of hands-on learning,” says Henry. “And at the same time I do learn a lot in my business classes that I’ve brought into the nonprofit. Reading financial statements is much easier since I’ve taken Accounting.”

Henry has taken a mix of in-person and online classes, noting that online classes offer certain advantages for the visually impaired. “I struggle with math, and I really like [taking] math classes online because I can go back and watch a video lecture over and over, and get as close to the screen as I want,” he says. “That’s more challenging in a room with a whiteboard. But I also really like the personal interaction that you get in the physical classroom setting.”

Henry expects to graduate from Clark in 2014 and plans to attend Washington State University Vancouver afterward to earn a bachelor’s degree in business. Meanwhile, he plans to continue growing NWABA, even if that means eventually handing the reins over to someone else.

“It’s hard, because I want to keep doing the work,” he says. “But getting my education is very, very important to me as well.”

Eventually, he would like to earn a master’s degree—either in business or in health care administration. When someone mentions that health care organizations could probably benefit from his unique perspective, Henry chuckles softly.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too,” he says.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Director of Change Management Jane Beatty

In anticipation of upcoming statewide changes to the community and technical college system, Clark College recently hired experienced manager Jane Beatty to help guide the college through what will be a complicated but beneficial transition.

Beatty has been hired to oversee changes occurring across the college. A great place for her to start is with the college’s adaptation of ctcLink, a new, standardized system of online functions that will replace the current computer system used by Washington state’s 34 community and technical colleges (CTCs), which is more than 30 years old. In this position, which is expected to run for about five years, she will identify organizational changes required to make ctcLink successful at the college; represent the college in statewide discussions about ctcLink; and ensure that the college adheres to its schedule for ctcLink implementation. She will also work closely with stakeholders from all departments affected by ctcLink—departments as varied as Instruction, Enrollment, Financial Aid, Information Technology, Business Services, and Human Resources.

“This campus has a rich history and an energy that speaks of excitement, growth, and future possibilities for students, faculty, and staff,” said Beatty. “In learning more about the Director of Change Management position, I realized I could help the college understand, prepare for, and embrace the changes that are ahead of us. In order to fully reach our potential, change must take place. Working together, we can take Clark College toward that vision. I’m really pleased to be a part of that effort and a part of Clark College.”

“As our new Director of Change Management, Jane Beatty’s deep industry experience and understanding of systems implementation will really benefit Clark College,” said Clark College President Robert K. Knight. “She will be a great addition to the college and the executive leadership team.”

About Jane Beatty

Jane Beatty is an experienced leader and manager with a strong commitment to community service. Most recently she was the president of Custom Interface, Inc., a producer of electromechanical devices. Previous to that she worked at Intel Corporation in Human Resources, where she supported a worldwide software implementation that replaced legacy systems in finance, receiving and inventory and helped to drive training, change management and business alignment to the new system. Despite a two-decade history of success in the private sector, however, Beatty began her career as a high school teacher and welcomes a return to an academic environment.

Beatty earned her bachelor’s degree from Emory University and Masters in Education from Georgia State University. Both colleges are located in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was born.

Beatty recently relocated to Camas, Washington, from the Columbia Gorge, where she was an active member of the community. She served as president of the Gorge Technology Alliance, a non-profit that supports STEM education, building strong technology-related businesses and other means of community support. Additionally, she was a member of the Hood River City Council.

About ctcLink

ctcLink is the implementation of a single, centralized system of online functions that will give students, faculty and staff 24/7 access to a modern, efficient way of doing their college business. But it’s about much more than new software. As the existing legacy software is replaced with modern technology, all college districts will also redesign and align current business processes.

ctcLink will be a massive upgrade for the entire CTC system. Students, faculty and staff will have access to information from anywhere at any time, with many processes available from a mobile device. Students will use online tools for doing their college business and they’ll have a more common experience across the CTC system, whether they transfer from one college to another or attend two or more CTCs at once. They will have one student ID and use common online tools for everything from admission to graduation. Among many other things, colleges—and the system as a whole—will benefit from a single source for accurate and timely data and the standardization of select administrative processes to support efficiency and effectiveness across the system.

ctcLink is anticipated to take five-to-six years to fully implement. Two pilot colleges, Tacoma Community College and the Community Colleges of Spokane, have been chosen to begin implementation in summer 2014. Other colleges will follow in “waves” of up to eight colleges each. It has yet to be determined in which wave Clark College will be.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

“The World Filled Up” by Stephen Hayes

Clark art instructor Stephen Hayes is having a 30-year retrospective at Lewis & Clark College’s Hoffman Gallery of Contemporary Art. The show opened September 10 and runs through December 15.

“I have admired Stephen’s work since I met him more than 20 years ago, when I was the director of Maryhill Museum and we had a small exhibition of Stephen’s work,” says Hoffman Gallery director and curator Linda Tesner. “Since then I’ve made sure to follow his career. He is a fantastic painter and his work has only become more and more interesting. I love that he is able to capture the spirit of place without making a slavish likeness; it is as if he is able to evoke the landscape as much as paint it.”

“Stephen is the best kind of instructor at Clark, with tons of real-world experience, fabulous skills, and the passion to share it all with his students,” says Clark art department chair Lisa Conway. “Stephen is a consummate professional, and a virtual icon among West Coast painters. The Hoffman Gallery at Lewis & Clark is a prestigious institution, and it is heartening to see a great artist get this level of respect and recognition.”

Hayes began teaching at Clark about two years ago after he gave a presentation as part of the Archer Gallery’s Clark Art Talks. Members of the Art Department faculty approached him after his lecture to ask if he would be interested in teaching at the college. Hayes says that working with Clark students in classes like Drawing I and Two-Dimensional Design helps him examine his own artistic process, as well as that of his students.

Stephen Hayes in a self-portrait

“Teaching always keeps you reminded that you are in a process yourself,” he says. “When you have to explain something to someone who has no idea what you’re talking about, that really forces you to establish clarity for yourself. That in turn has an impact when you enter the studio: You have more clarity.”

Hayes sounds humbled by having a gallery focus on his entire body of work. “It’s pretty awesome, obviously,” he says. “One doesn’t get this opportunity very often. … It’s fantastic to be able to look back and to see both the continuity and the changes in direction along the years.”

Hayes says he doesn’t plan to tell his students about the show. “There are posters around, so they may well find out about it,” he says. “But I’m not making them take a special field trip or anything.”

Images courtesy of the Hoffman Gallery

On Opening Day 2013, Exceptional Faculty Award plaques were presented to, left to right, Darcie Thompson (accepting the award for her mother-in-law, Mickey Thompson), Patti Serrano, Bruce Elgort, Tony Chennault, and Mike Arnold.

Clark College President Bob Knight announced the recipients of the 2013 Exceptional Faculty Awards during the 2013 Commencement ceremony on June 20; they were presented with engraved plaques during Opening Day on September 11. This year, five faculty members—two part-time instructors and three full-time professors—received the award, which honors excellence in teaching.

The Clark College Exceptional Faculty Awards are presented annually to full-time and part-time faculty members in recognition of exemplary work performance, positive impact on students, professional commitment, and other contributions to the college. Nominations are submitted by Clark College students, faculty, classified employees, administrators, alumni, Board members, and Foundation directors. The awards are made possible through an endowed trust fund established by the Washington State Legislature and the Clark College Exceptional Faculty Endowment Fund, which was established in 1993.

This year’s Exceptional Faculty Award recipients are:

Mike Arnold

Mike Arnold, Health and Physical Education

Mike Arnold began teaching at Clark College in 1989 and over that time has taught everything from archery to weight lifting, as well as coaching athletic teams. His students praise him for helping them improve not only their bodies, but their minds and characters as well. “Not only does he want you to do well in his class, he wants you to do well in life,” wrote one student in his nomination.

Another student wrote, “Mike Arnold is one of the most caring, respectable, honest and genuine people I have ever met. He is willing to help any student that is in need. … He is more than a teacher; he is a friend and a mentor.”

Tony Chennault

Tony Chennault, Biology

“Simply put, Tony Chennault is the best professor I have ever had,” wrote one student in nominating Chennault for the Exceptional Faculty Award. Many students praise Chennault for making a notoriously difficult series of classes—namely, Human Anatomy and Physiology—fun and understandable.

Chennault, who also teaches Human Biology, began teaching at Clark in 2008 and received tenure in 2011. He strives to make his students feel comfortable as they tackle challenging material, providing them with helpful study tips and mnemonic tricks for learning anatomical terms. “I believe this award is a reflection of having a job that I truly love and am passionate about, and I take pride in bringing that passion and energy to class every day, trying my best to make learning the science of the human body fun for the students as I have fun, too,” he said.

Bruce Elgort

Bruce Elgort, Computer Technology

Bruce Elgort has only been teaching at Clark since winter quarter 2013, but already he has made a huge impression on his students. “I was worried when I started his class that I wouldn’t be able to learn the material or properly grasp the concepts, but after I was in Bruce’s class for an hour, I felt confident and comfortable and able to learn anything,” wrote one nominator.

While Elgort is relatively new to teaching in a college setting, he has a long career in computer technology. He has worked for major technology companies, including Sharp and Underwriters Laboratories, and launched his own successful software company. When he teaches courses about programming, HTML, and PHP coding, he brings real-life experience from the work world into his classroom—a classroom that extends into the virtual realm through help sessions conducted via social media. “In today’s hyper-connected, ‘always-on’ world, the ability to extend the physical classroom is something that has become an integral part of all my work at Clark,” Elgort says.

Patti Serrano

Patti Serrano, Business Administration

Patti Serrano has had plenty of time to develop fans at Clark College—she began teaching here in 1981, beginning by teaching Fashion Merchandising before transitioning to Business Management and Marketing courses. During that time, Serrano has demonstrated leadership at the college time and again. She helped draft the college’s Strategic Plan and participated in the college’s last three accreditation efforts, as well as serving on countless committees to improve college functions; she has also served as head of the college’s Business Department and chair of the Business Division. Additionally, she is a committed educator.

“Having known Patti Serrano for over thirty years, I have personally seen the many, many hours she has devoted to helping her students with guidance in professional and personal advice,” said one coworker. “She has been a positive force for hundreds of students.”

Mickey Thompson

Mickey Thompson, Paralegal

Mickey Thompson entered the legal profession in 1977, and she brings both a depth of knowledge and a great enthusiasm about paralegal work to her teaching. Students point to the countless hours she has spent serving as the advisor to the Clark College Law Club and to her patience when guiding them through the thicket of legal terminology.

“She’s compassionate, organized, strict, and funny all at the same time,” wrote one student in her nomination. “Legal procedure is tough and complicated, and Mickey makes sure that all of her students understand the course material and have a good grasp on the concepts.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Ara Serjoie bids a heartfelt farewell to the Penguin Nation.

More than 100 guests gathered to say goodbye to Clark College Foundation’s Ara Serjoie, who has accepted a position in California, and to share funny and touching memories of their relationships with him during an August reception at Gaiser Student Center.

Jan Oliva, a philanthropic partner of Clark College and community leader, called Serjoie a visionary who excels at inspiring others to give of their time and treasure. “You cannot say no to Ara,” she said. “He has a vision and shares it with everyone.”

Oliva also expressed what many in the room had experienced: Serjoie’s genuine compassion for others and deep belief in the mission of Clark College has left a legacy at the college.

Jeanne Firstenburg, also a major donor to Clark College, said Serjoie has become a personal friend whom she will greatly miss.

Serjoie, senior vice president at the foundation, announced his departure to California State University, East Bay, in Hayward, Calif., in June. He will serve as the vice president for university advancement and president of the foundation.

Bob Williamson, vice president of administrative services at Clark College, said, “The era of Ara is over, but he will be more than remembered: He’s a legacy. We are a better place for Ara being here.”

Williamson referred to several facilities and programs on campus that have been created or enhanced due to Serjoie’s fundraising adeptness and strong community relationships: the Oliva Family Early Learning Center, Little Penguins’ Gardens, Firstenburg Family Dental Hygiene Education and Care Center, and Columbia Credit Union Simulation Pharmacy, as well as many student scholarships.

Greg Wallace, Clark College Foundation Board of Directors chair, called Serjoie a “remarkable talent,” adding, “Ara has a quick wit, he’s engaging, very bright and he knows everyone from the region and remembers each of them.”

Lisa Gibert, president and CEO of Clark College Foundation, said that when she was searching for a vice president of development seven years ago, she was looking for a partner who would work side-by-side with her. “I needed someone who could bring the foundation to a new level and could teach me about the amazing world of development,” she said.

She said she found that and more in Serjoie: “He has my deepest respect and admiration. The community holds the college in high regard because of his professional ethics, responsibility to philanthropy and his unwavering belief in the mission of Clark College.”

When Serjoie rose to speak, he said, “This evening is not about me; it’s about you. It’s about the students and the wonderful work faculty members and staff do every day in service to our students.”

Then, with tears in his eyes, he said, “All of you have been kind to me over these past seven years, and for that and more you are forever in my heart.”

Photo: Clark College Foundation/Rhonda Morin