Q: How long have you been a member of the Economic Alliance of Lewis County?
A: Since 2016
Q: Why did you join the Alliance?:
A: The Board of Directors has a standing position for the college president. Across the state, the community colleges and the local economic development councils have strong partnerships, because the colleges play a central role in workforce development.
Q: What is a key for the success of your business?:
A: The college is successful if we are able to make students successful. We need to make it easy for students to enroll, to secure the funding they need to pay for their education, to be successful in their classes, and to complete their requirements for graduation. It’s important for us to stay connected to local and regional businesses in order to deliver relevant programs that will meet the needs of employers and give students the skills they need to thrive as they move into their career paths.
Q: What do you enjoy most about volunteering?
A: The more involved I am, the more I learn about what is happening in our community.
Q: How do you define success?
A: The college’s success is defined by the success of our students. When I talk to people like Randy Mueller, who just finished his role at the Port of Chehalis, and who is a Centralia College graduate, I know that the college is successful because I can see it in the work of our graduates. We are giving students the tools, skills and guidance they need to find a career that is right for them and that helps to support our community.
Q: What is one thing, either industry-related or not, you learned in the last month?
A: It’s nearly impossible to buy a new car during a global pandemic.
Q: What’s the last book you read?
A: I’m reading a book right now called, “The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers who created the American Superhighways.” It’s a history of the interstate highway system, which is a huge factor in the economic and social life of the country.
Q: What is your favorite meal?
A: My favorite meal is usually the one I’m eating at the moment. I love food and I love to cook. I worked in restaurants for about 15 years before going into education.
Q: What do you do for pleasure outside of running your business?
A: I love to play guitar, love to cook. My wife, Liz, and I love to travel but there has been a lot less of that than usual for the last year and a half. We also enjoy home improvement projects. We built a new deck last year and we’re just finishing up a bathroom remodel.
Q: What is something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?
A: I was once thrown out of the Library of Congress.
