BIOGRAPHIES
Mick Donahue
Dr. Mick Donahue, Executive Vice President of Instruction and Student Services at Skagit Valley College, administers district-wide instruction and student services, including library/media services and information technology. He also serves as chief administrator for SVC’s Whidbey Island Campus and South Whidbey and San Juan Centers.
Mick began his SVC career in 1986 as a counselor and psychology instructor. He advanced to Associate Dean of Counseling and Special Populations, then Vice President of the Whidbey Island Campus in 1993, assuming his current position in 2009. He continues to enjoy direct involvement with students, teaching part-time undergraduate psychology courses online.
A community college graduate of Orange Coast College, Mick earned his Bachelor’s from the University of California at Santa Barbara, a Master’s in Education in Counseling/Guidance from Loyola University, Los Angeles, and a Doctorate in Educational Administration in Community College Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin.
Mick lives in Anacortes with his wife, Sherry. They enjoy hiking and biking but surfing is his true passion. Besides catching waves here in the Pacific Northwest, he has gone on surfing safaris in Hawaii, California, the Baja, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaraugua, and Indonesia.
Robin Echtle
Robin has spent her career working in non-profits as Executive Director and as Senior Development Officer. Currently, she is the Executive Director for the Tacoma Community College Foundation. She has worked with volunteers of all stripes and keeps the focus on long-term relationship building within the community. Her commitment to “fierce conversations” has resulted in frank appraisals and practical strategies to address relationship challenges and mend fences.
Tana L. Hasart
Dr. Tana began attending college in her 30’s after supporting her husband in his 20-year military career. She earned her first degree from what was then Fort Steilacoom Community College (now Pierce College), and continued her studies at Southern Illinois University, Eastern Washington University, and, finally, Seattle University where she earned a doctorate in Educational Administration and Leadership.
Tanahas worked in the K-12 system and served on the Steilacoom School District Board of Directors for six years, four of which included terms as Board Chairperson. She began working in Washington’s Community and Technical College System in 1983, begining as an admissions clerk and completing her career 1n 2010 as President of Pierce College Puyallup. She retired from this last position in June of 2010.
Tana currently serves as a doctoral adjunct faculty member at Oregon State University, Old Dominion University, and Seattle University. She also teaches at the graduate level in Seattle University’s Student Development Administration Program. She serves as an evaluator and team leader for the Northwest Association of Colleges and Universities and assists the Puyallup School District with their strategic planning initiatives. Her areas of research and publication include organizational development, system design, and institutional performance improvement.
Michele L. Johnson
Michel Johnson began her community college experience in 1978 as an instructor and program coordinator for Criminal Justice at Pierce College. In 1993 she began her administrative career at Pierce College, which culminated in her selection as President of Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom in June 1999. Michele became president of Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, and is currently Chancellor of Pierce College District since July 2005.
Michel has been a trainer and consultant to business and industry, providing customized training and is an Emeritus Member, Workforce Development Council Executive Committee. She is also a member of the Tacoma Economic Development Board and chairs the Health Care Personnel Shortage Taskforce.
Michele Johnson received her BS and MA from University of Washington in Police Science and Administration and her Ph.D in Educational Policy and Management from University of Oregon, Michele attended the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University
Achievements include:
• NWAACC Coach of the Year – Women’s Softball (1982, 1984)
• Past President – Washington Association of Criminal Justice Educators
• 1991 – Distinguished Alumnus, Washington State University
• 2000 – Top 20 People to Watch in the New Century (The News Tribune)
• 2003 - Women of Influence (Business Examiner)
Jim Kastama
Senator Jim Kastama chairs the Senate Economic Development, Trade and Innovation Committee. Representing the 25th Legislative District since 1996, Jim was first elected to the Senate in 2000 after two terms in the House of Representatives.
Jim also sits on the Senate Transportation and Higher Education and Workforce Development committees, and throughout his political career has been the Legislature’s leading advocate for shared parenting. Jim also is a member of the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations, the State Economic Development Finance Authority Board and the Washington Economic Development Commission.
Jim’s varied civic service and activities include memberships on the Valley Arts United Advisory Board and the Puyallup Main Street Association and the board of Community in Schools. He is a former VISTA volunteer and recipient of a congressional recognition award.
A graduate of Puyallup High School, Jim attended Claremont Men’s College and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a part-time faculty member at the community college and university level—he teaches classes in Organizational Assessment, Strategic Planning, and Managing in a Political and Legislative Environment—and is an examiner for the Washington State Quality Awards.
Jim lives in his hometown of Puyallup with his wife, Barbara, and children Isaac, Anna Laura, Michael, Sarah and Rachel. He is an insatiable skier and cyclist and is a perpetual student of new ways to make businesses more competitive and to create better jobs for Washingtonians.
Lee D. Lambert
Lee D. Lambert became Shoreline Community College’s seventh President and the College’s first President of Color on July 1st, 2006.
Prior to Shoreline Community College, Lee was the Vice President for Human Resources and Legal Affairs at Centralia College. At The Evergreen State College, he served as the Special Assistant to the President for Civil Rights and Legal Affairs and as an adjunct professor who taught courses on Law, Civil Rights and Social Justice and Employment Law. Lee has also worked for the Washington State Liquor Control Board; the Washington Department of Transportation; the King County Prosecutor’s Office; the Washington State Attorney General’s Office and has served in the United States Army.
Lee has a J.D. degree from Seattle University’s School of Law and a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College. He also serves on a number of local and national Boards and Councils.
John McMahon
Since 2005, John McMahon has been Director of Facilities and Plant Operations at Seattle Central Community College. As Facility Director, he participates in OFC. He served on -- and filled in as chair -- of the OFC committee that selected Megamations as the CMMS for our system.
Prior to his current position, he served Seattle Central for 10 years in a position the title of which evolved from Division Chair to Associate Dean to Dean. In even earlier incarnations, he worked as Dean at the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, MA; as Director of the Maritime Training Center and as Division Chair for Off-Campus Programs at Seattle Central; as the principal at a consulting firm (John McMahon and Associates); as Director of Programs and Exhibits at Seattle Aquarium; as Education Programs Coordinator at WA Game Department; as a Marine Extension Specialist at OSU Hatfield Marine Center in Newport, OR; as Director of the Marine Option Program and Blue-Water Marine Laboratory at the University of Hawaii; and as a cephalopod biologist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. He is a founding member and Past-President of the National Marine Educators Association. None of those earlier positions match the day to day, thrill-a-minute excitement of his current position!
John’s degrees are: B.S. in Biology from Providence College; M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Hawaii; and Ph.D. in General Education from Oregon State University.
John and his wife Barbara live on Bainbridge Island. They enjoy hiking and sea kayaking. John enjoys bird hunting and competes in sporting clays.
Chris Reykdal
Chris has been in the position of Deputy Executive Director of Finance at the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges since July, 2005. He is responsible for the management of personnel, legislative process, communications, finance, office operation for the SBCTC and primary staff support to the presidents of the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges (WACTC). Prior to this he was Operating Budget Director, at the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges from 2002-2005. From 1999 to 2002 Chris served as Fiscal/Policy Analyst at the Senate Transportation Committee for the Washington State Senate.
Chris received a Masters in Public Administration with emphasis in budget/finance and performance measurement from University of North Carolina in 1999, and a BA in Social Studies, Minor in Political Science and Geology, from Washington State University in 1994.
Chris lives in Tumwater, WA and is a Board Member at Tumwater School District and served on the Tumwater Planning Commission.
Jim Richardson
Jim Richardson became president at Wenatchee Valley College in July 2005. He came to the Wenatchee Valley from West Burlington, Iowa, where he was president of Southeastern Community College (SCC).
Other positions held include: Provost, Student and Academic Affairs for the Calmar Campus, Northeast Iowa Community College; Dean, General Education and Academic Development at Gateway Technical Institute; English Department and Language Institute Coordinator and Instructor at Taejeon Junior College, South Korea; Speech Instructor at Skagit Valley College, Mt. Vernon, WA; Chipewa Valley Technical College, Eau Claire, WI; and Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, Fennimore, WI.
Jim Richardson has a master of arts in speech from the University of Wisconsin, a bachelor of arts in communications from Winona State University and a Ph.D. in education from Capella University in Minneapolis, MN.
Jim serves as a Rotary Member; The Performing Arts Center Wenatchee Board President; Workforce Development Council; Public Facilities Dist. Board.
Mike Towey
Mike Towey has worked in the Human Services since 1974 working in almost every aspect of treatment and prevention including 6 years as the administrator of alcohol and drug services in Pierce and Kitsap Counties. Mike has 30 years of teaching experience and he is a tenured faculty at Tacoma Community College completing his 20th year in 2010. He has been a full time instructor and advisor in the Human Service Program at Tacoma Community College every quarter since 1989. He has been doing specialized training in chemical dependency treatment, prevention, ethics, clinical supervison in community programs for the past twenty years. Mike has a Masters Degree in Public Administration and is a Certified Chemical Dependency Professional and a Certified Prevention Specialist in Washington State, currently Past President of the Prevention Board. He served as a member of the CSAT task force developing standards for chemical dependency supervisors in October or 2005. He served on the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Counselors Organization committee for a national curriculum development identifying the competencies for Associates, Bachelors and Graduate level degrees in2008 and 2009. Mike is currently President of the AFT Faculty Union # 2196.