The higher education landscape has rapidly changed — accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. College of the Redwoods is aware that we are facing a critical crossroads in our future. We must not only recover the enrollment we lost because of the pandemic, we need to grow back differently. We know that we cannot simply accept the institution as it was, and still hope to thrive in the future.
We know that the key to our long-term viability as a community college is how well we align our academic offerings with California State Polytechnic University Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt) and how we evolve to serve the needs of our local industry partners. We are in the process of revising our Education Master Plan, which will give us strategic direction. We are also actively connecting with our community to help us determine how we can better support industry and prepare students for the jobs of the future.
It was clear from the conversations we’ve had with local industry, business, and community leaders that, while CR plays a vital role in supporting our local workforce and regional economy by facilitating workforce development activities, we have work to do to strengthen our industry and community partnerships. To help address this need, I have formed a President’s Advisory Council, which will work with faculty, staff colleagues, and myself, to help the college stay nimble in the face of change.
The President’s Council is comprised of excellent community leaders who will challenge CR to be a better and more responsive institution, help us assess our current offerings, and provide advice on how to better align with workforce needs. More specifically, the council will help us identify direct-to-job degree paths and certificates that lead to high-demand jobs, including potential BA/BS degrees from CR; identify CR-Cal Poly Humboldt degree paths that lead to high-demand jobs and careers; advise CR on the meta-skills that are valuable and transferable to all industries; support opportunities for experiential learning for CR students (internships, job shadowing, company tours, class projects, etc.); and help ensure that all of our offerings are accessible and equitable.
Drawing from our community’s most talented and accomplished individuals, the President’s Council consists of 13 members from both the private and public sectors. The diversity of the membership will provide a wide range of perspectives to address CR’s most pressing opportunities and challenges. The membership includes:
- Chris Albright, General Manager, O and M Industries
- Rex Bohn, Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, First District
- Jason Carlson, Vice President and General Manager California Operations, Green Diamond Resource Company
- Joe Davis, Tribal Council Chair, Hoopa Tribe
- Jana Ganion, Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs, Blue lake Rancheria
- Ken Hamik, Operating Partner, The Ganjery. Board Chair, Arcata Chamber of Commerce
- Mandy Marquez, Senior Community Lending Officer, Coast Central Credit Union
- Heidi Moore-Guynup, Superintendent, McKinleyville Union Elementary School District
- Sean O’Day, Chief Corporate Lending Officer, American Ag Credit, Rancher
- Susan Seaman, Mayor, City of Eureka, Program Director, Arcata Economic Development Corporation
- Jeremy Sorci, Financial Advisor, Premier Financial Group
- Tory Starr, CEO, Open Door Community Health Centers
- Terry Supahan, Executive Director, True North Organizing Network
The Council will be led by two fantastic co-chairs — Dan Phillips and Laura Olson. Dan most recently served as Hulu’s Chief Technology Officer. His background includes leadership roles at TiVo and CrossWorlds. Laura Olson is the Executive Director of the Patricia D. and William B. Smullin Foundation. Prior to joining the Smullin Foundation in 2016, she worked for the California Endowment as Program Manager for Del Norte and Adjacent Tribal Lands, and at Humboldt Area Foundation also as Program Manager.
I am also fortunate that Chris Gaines, Professor of Business, Denise Vanden Bos, Retired Director of Project Development at HSU, and Angelina Hill, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Academic Partnerships, will help support the work of the Council.
Our institution is at the forefront of educating human beings to be better thinkers and more productive members of civil society. But in order to honor these responsibilities, we must become more agile, we must remove barriers to student success, we must become more accessible, and we must remain relevant to the communities we serve.
Dr. Keith Flamer is the president of the College of the Redwoods.
