Peninsula College officials have narrowed their list for the school’s next president to four.
PC’s Board of Trustees announced their selection of finalists for the presidency on March 23 — three from the I-5 corridor and a fourth from Austin, Texas.
The next president will succeed Dr. Luke Robins, who has led Peninsula College since July 2012 — telling the board of trustees in June 2021 he would retire at the end of the 2021-2022 school year so as to give them plenty of time to seek his replacement.
Public forums are scheduled for the weeks of April 11 and April 18, and each candidate will participate in three forums. The forums will be in Room J-47 at the college’s Port Angeles campus (1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.), with a maximum capacity of 50, but they will also be accessible virtually.
“We invite and encourage everyone to participate in the open forums; no RSVP is needed,” College officials said in a press release.
The forums will feature a brief introduction of each candidate, followed by a question-and-answer session. Those participating in the candidate forums will be asked to provide feedback to the Board of Trustees via an online survey.
The candidates
The four finalists for Peninsula College’s president position include:
Suzanne Ames
• Dr. Suzanne Ames is currently the Vice President of Instruction at Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland. Previously the Associate Vice President of Instruction at the same school, Ames earned a doctor of education degree in Educational Leadership for Change from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, Caif., and a master’s degree of Business Administration in Marketing from City University in Seattle. She also had two bachelors of arts degrees, in Communications and Political Science, from the University of Washington.
Melissa Curtis
• Dr. Melissa Curtis is Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management for the Austin Community College District in Austin, Texas. She previously served as Dean of Student Affairs for the Austin Community College’s Eastview campus, also in Austin. Curtis earned a doctor of philosophy degree in Educational Administration from The University of Texas at Austin, a master of fine arts degree in Fiction Writing from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, and a bachelor of arts degree in Oral Traditions in African American Literature from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Kristen Jones
• Dr. Kristen Jones most recently served as Provost, Acting President and Acting Vice President of Human Resources at Bellevue College. She previously worked as Vice President of Instruction at North Seattle College in Seattle. Jones earned a doctor of education degree in Community College Leadership and a master of science degree in Counseling from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore. She also earned a bachelor of science degree in Psychology and Gerontology from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.
Kerry Levett
• Dr. Kerry Levett is Vice President for Student Learning and Success at Cascadia College in Bothell. She previously worked as Executive Dean of Student Affairs at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore. Levett earned a doctor of education degree in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., a master of arts degree in Education from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Colo., and a bachelor of arts degree in Christian Education from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa.
Learn more about the candidates at the college’s presidential finalist page at pencol.edu/presidential-search/finalists. Email questions to ask the final candidates to kfrancis@pencol.edu.
Forum details
On Monday, April 11, faculty and staff will interview Curtis from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., and students will have an opportunity to interview Curtis from 12:45-1:15 p.m. A community forum to interview Curtis is set for 1:30-2 p.m. Join the forums at pencol-edu.zoom.us/j/88975092184, and provide survey information at surveymonkey.com/r/president-finalist-forums-curtis.
On Friday, April 15, faculty and staff will interview Levett from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., and students will interview Levett from 12:45-1:15 p.m. A community forum to interview Levett is set for 1:30-2 p.m. Join the forums at pencol-edu.zoom.us/j/81638826146, and provide survey information at surveymonkey.com/r/president-finalist-forums-levett.
Jones’ forums are scheduled for Monday April 18. Faculty and staff interview the candidate from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and students have an opportunity to find out more abnout Jones from 12:45-1:15 p.m. The community forum is slates for 1:30-2 p.m. Join the forums virtually at pencol-edu.zoom.us/j/81555568755, and give survey information at surveymonkey.com/r/president-finalist-forums-jones.
The final candidate forum is Tuesday, April 19, with Ames. Faculty and staff will interview Ames from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., and students will have an opportunity to interview the candidate from 12:45-1:15 p.m. A community forum to talk with Ames is 1:30-2 p.m. Join the forums at pencol-edu.zoom.us/j/87614595805, and provide survey information at surveymonkey.com/r/president-finalist-forums-ames.
For more information or to provide suggestions, contact ACCT search consultant Jill Wakefield, at jwakefi777@comcast.net or 206-234-6752.
Outgoing president
During Robins’ tenure so far, Peninsula College expanded its branches.
The college acquired and renovated the former Bank of America building in Forks to house the college’s West End campus. Working with the Peninsula College Foundation, the State Parks Department and the Fort Worden Public Development Authority, the college transformed a historic barracks building at Fort Worden in Port Townsend into a Jefferson County Peninsula College campus.
In 2017, construction was completed on a new Allied Health and Early Childhood Education building on the Port Angeles campus.
The college also won a $2.2 million federal Title III grant going toward and center to provide faculty resources, improvements to the Longhouse — the first Native American Longhouse to be located on a community college campus — and wayfinding signs on campus.
During his tenure, the college developed a new strategic plan and facilities master plan and recently completed a successful mid-cycle — one cycle is seven years — with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Robins has served on the Clallam County Economic Development Council, the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the North Olympic Healthcare Network boards. He serves on the American Association of Community Colleges’ Commission on Small/Rural Community Colleges.
Prior to his appointment as president of Peninsula College, Robins served as chancellor of Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe, La. The new college had its initial regional accreditation and $45 million college campus was constructed.
He also served as chief academic officer at two-year colleges in Idaho and Arkansas, and has nearly 20 years of experience as a community college instructor.
Robins, who lives in Sequim with his wife Mary Jane, said in an interview that retirement will allow him to spend more time with his family — the couple has two grown children — travel and perhaps find new professional opportunities.
A native of Illinois, Robins holds a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College, a master’s degree in English from Illinois State University, and a doctorate in community college leadership from the University of Texas at Austin.
