Executive Committee
2026-2027 Executive Committee
Purpose: Provide direction to the OCCA Executive Director between board meetings, annually evaluating the Executive Director, and any other functions on behalf of the Board of Directors as the board may authorize.
Pat Fahey
OCCA President
Board Member, Rogue Community College
Pat Fahey is a Grants Pass native and graduate of Grants Pass High School. Although he earned an accounting degree from Southern Oregon University, Pat refers to himself as a “garbage man by birth and by choice.” He’s the second generation in his family business, Southern Oregon Sanitation, a garbage company founded in 1948 and now serving more than 25,000 customers in Josephine, Jackson, and Douglas counties. Starting in 1981, Pat worked his way from container washer and route driver to operations manager until he became general manager in 2001, a position he held for the next 15 years. He retired in 2016, but retirement didn’t “take” for him, so later that year he purchased Sutherlin Sanitary Service where he now works as general manager.
Pat has worked on behalf of his community for decades. He’s been a member of Grants Pass Rotary since 1987. He was Troop Scout Master from 1993-2002. He has served on the Rogue Community College advisory board, Grants Pass School Board finance committee, Three Rivers Community Hospital Foundation board, Josephine Community Libraries board, and Josephine County budget committee. In nearly all of these, he has served in leadership positions.
He currently sits on the boards of Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. and the Josephine County Library Foundation.
While Pat loves to travel, read, and hike in his spare time, he says he’s having the time of his life at work and in his service to community.
Kristin Adams
OCCA Vice President
Board Member, Linn-Benton Community College
With over 20 years of experience in K-12 education, Kristin Adams joined the Linn Benton Community College Board of Education in 2018. Before her tenure in education, Kristin worked for a national environmental consulting firm in marketing and contract management. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Administration from Oregon State University. Kristin and her husband have four adult children, two of which are high school History teachers.
Dr. Rachel Pokrandt
OCCA Secretary
President, Umpqua Community College
Dr. Rachel Pokrandt has served as the President of Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Roseburg, Oregon since July 2021.
Rachel holds a B.A. in Theatre and British Literature, from Manchester City University in the United Kingdom, an MBA from Western Governor’s University, a graduate certificate in Sustainability from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Management from the Swiss Management Center, Zurich. Prior to stepping into her current role, Rachel served as Vice President and Campus Dean at the Leadville and Chaffee County Campuses of Colorado Mountain College, and Dean of Instruction at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins, CO with oversight over technical trades, concurrent enrollment and health sciences. Rachel is an Aspen Fellow and Participates in the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program.
Prior to working in higher education, Rachel worked in corporate training and the non-profit sector. She served as Director of Education at Beyond Benign and the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, and the Director of Professional Education and Leadership at the Keystone Policy Center. In these roles she led teams working with industry and government partners such as the EPA, NASA, Department of Energy, DuPont, Dow Chemical, and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, providing sustainability training for Professionals and K-12 and post-secondary educators, in 11 countries.
Dr. Kenneth Lawson
OCCA Treasurer
President, Columbia Gorge Community College
Dr. Lawson was formerly vice president of instruction, Skagit Valley College, Mt. Vernon, Wash. His community college experience began as an adjunct faculty in basic education. From that experience, he gained an appreciation for the power of community colleges to make a transformative difference in students’ lives. Dr. Lawson’s career — which includes serving as a full-time faculty and dean of the Social Sciences/Equity and Social Justice division at Shoreline Community College, and dean for the Humanities and Social Sciences at Seattle Central College — has focused on ensuring equitable access, achievement, and outcomes for all students. He is deeply committed to the role higher education plays as an agent of positive social change. Since 2013, Dr. Lawson has served as the vice president for instruction at Skagit Valley College. In that role, he works with faculty and staff to create equitable learning environments, programs responsive to local economic and social needs, and educational pathways for diverse communities. Dr. Lawson has a doctorate in political science from the University of Washington, and a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Science in political science from the University of Utah.
Susan Anderson
Member-at-Large
Board Member, Southwestern Oregon Community College
From a young age, Susan aspired to become a teacher, inspired by the educators who opened up a world of opportunities for her and helped her escape poverty. With their support, she became the first member of her family to attend college. She went on to spend over a decade teaching high school full-time and also served as an instructor in the University of Cincinnati Community College system.
As her passion for supporting education grew, Susan transitioned into a role as a labor relations consultant, a position she held for over 31 years until her retirement. Throughout her career, she remained deeply committed to promoting public education and ensuring that both students and educators had the resources and support they needed to thrive.
In 2011, Susan took her dedication to education a step further by running for a position on the Southwestern Oregon Community College Board. Her goal was to help ensure that individuals from all backgrounds have access to quality education and the opportunity to pursue their dreams. She remains passionate about education and is committed to making a lasting, positive impact on students and educators alike.
Gina Sanchez-Roletto
Member-at-Large
Board Member, Portland Community College
Gina Sanchez Roletto is a first-generation Latina born and raised in Washington State’s Yakima Valley. She brings over 25 years of experience in K-12 education throughout the Portland Metro area, having served in the Hillsboro, Portland, and Beaverton School Districts. Currently, she is an assistant principal at Sunset High School in Beaverton.
Her career in education began as a second-grade teacher, later transitioning into roles as an ESL specialist, instructional coach, and coordinator of Hillsboro’s Migrant Summer School program. She moved into administration in Portland Public Schools and has since remained dedicated to equity and student success in leadership roles. A longtime advocate for Latino educators, Sanchez Roletto has served on the board (and as past president) of the Oregon Association of Latino Administrators for nearly 20 years.
Her commitment to community service extends beyond education. She is a former Hillsboro City Councilor, where she served on the Finance Committee and led during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also served on the board of Northwest Kidney Kids.
A resident of Oregon since 1998, she lives in Hillsboro with her three sons, two of whom are proud PCC students. She holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education from the University of Washington and additional endorsements from Lewis & Clark College.
Dr. Jessica Howard
Ex-Officio Member,
Oregon Presidents Council Representative
President, Chemeketa Community College
Dr. Jessica Howard became Chemeketa’s 11th President in July 2019. She holds a Ph.D. from New York University along with a Master and two Bachelor degrees from Rice University. Her academic work has been interdisciplinary and based in the arts and humanities.
Prior to coming to Chemeketa, Jessica held vice president roles at San Antonio College in San Antonio, Texas, and then became Campus President for the Southeast Campus of Portland Community College. She began her career in higher education as a faculty member, teaching for many years and serving as a department chair.
Jessica is an Aspen New Presidents Fellow and serves on the Campus Compact Board of Directors. In 2019 she received President of the Year award from the Association of College Unions International, and became an honorary member of Phi Theta Kappa in 2014. She is a proud member of the Salem Rotary and the American Association of Women in Community Colleges and regularly serves on state councils, workgroups, and taskforces associated with equity, higher education, and workforce. She is a voting member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and is active with the American Association of Community Colleges.
Well after receiving her doctorate, and while serving as a college vice president, Jessica “went back to school” and obtained her Associate of Arts degree. “I thought it was important to model the importance of student completion and to be able to attest, first-hand, to the quality and value of community college teaching and learning.”
Andrew Speer
OCCA Past-President
Board Member, Mt. Hood Community College
Andrew Speer was elected to the Mt. Hood Community College District Board of Education in 2019 and was elected to serve another four-year term until 2027. He proudly served as an infantry soldier in the U.S. Marines Corps for four years. He received an associate degree from MHCC in economics and then earned his master’s degree at Portland State University. He is now an economist with a background in economic modeling and analysis.
Speer actively volunteers. He served on the City of Portland’s Charter Review Commission and was a board member of the Gresham Chamber of Commerce. He is now a board trustee for WorldOregon.
Donna Lewelling
Ex-Officio Member
Director, Office of Community Colleges & Workforce Development (CCWD)
Donna Lewelling serves as the Director of the Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD) for the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. In this role she directs the office forresponsible for coordination, leadership and resources to Oregon’s 17 locally-governed community colleges, adult basic skills providers, postsecondary career and technical education programs, and other partnerships to advance statewide goals.
Donna has years of experience with statewide community college policy and has served a variety of other important roles at the HECC since the agency was first formed in 2013, most recently serving as interim director of the HECC Office of CCWD since March of 2021. She served as deputy director of CCWD from 2016 to 2021, Oregon’s adult basic skills director, policy analyst, and numerous roles at the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development before it became an office of the HECC. She currently serves as the president for the Oregon Chapter of the American Association of Community Colleges, and is a recipient of the Howard Cherry Outstanding Community College Advocate Award by the Oregon Community College Association. Donna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Management and Leadership both from Western Governor’s University.