Here we are, preparing for our second virtual Fall Conference. We were hoping to be able to gather in person this Fall, but the health and safety of our members is the number one priority.

The conference will be held from 1 - 3:30 p.m. on November 18 and 19, 2021. In appreciation for our members and your continued support during these virtual times, there is no cost for attendance. Registration information is coming soon.

Featured speakers will include retired PCC Sylvania Campus President Linda Gerber who is continuing her work in higher education. There will also be breakout sessions to choose from. For more information about the conference and how to register, visit the Fall Conference page on our website by clicking below.

Please note that although this year's chosen theme is "Her Conference," AAWCC strives to be inclusive of all genders, sexual orientations and pronouns, and welcomes everyone to attend.

Fall is my favorite time of year. The leaves turn brilliant colors, the first fall rains arrive bringing fresh green grass, and I get to pull out my sweatpants. It’s also a time for reflection on the summer months and the memories made--some of which have made us be “HERoic” when we didn’t think it was possible. I often use this time to sit quietly with a warm cup of tea and think about my HERitage and the HERoines that went before me. As fall continues its journey onto winter, I hope you all find some time to reflect on the things that make each of you special in HER own way.

Gathering Virtually at the

AAWCC Summer Conference

This year's Summer Conference--'Oh Snap! We're back! Let's do this!'--was terrific. We had a well rounded conference that hosted an amazing speaker and some fantastic workshops. Our keynote speaker was author and speaker Amy Dee. She spoke about resilience and our ability to create change through our perspectives. She was funny, dynamic and engaging. Our workshops touched on overcoming odds and thriving, moved to strategies for handling change in the workplace, and finished with the overwhelming power of changing just 1%! We were able to take some mindfulness meditation and yoga breaks as well as hearing and seeing from our AAWCC family around the state. It was, as usual, a fantastic conference with great insight, fantastic tips, and supportive and engaging interactions with our peers.

National Annual Leadership Conference 2021

The National AAWCC Organization will be holding its Annual Conference on October 22, 2021. This is a wonderful opportunity to come together with women from around the country in all stages of their community college careers.

When: 10/22/2021

Where: Virtual

EVENT DETAILS:

National Annual Leadership Conference

R.I.S.E.

Reach. Inform. Support. Empower  

ONLINE! Friday, October 22, 2021

9 am PDT, 10 am, MDT 11am CDT, 12 Noon EDT

Free Registration for Active Members - $25 for Non-Members

Register at www.aawccnatl.org

Registration is available until seats are filled.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton 

 "And Still I Rise, with Resilience"

The event is free to members of our Oregon chapter and/or any local chapter. It's $25 for non-members. For questions, contact AAWCC Vice President of Membership Cherie Maas-Anderson.

Nominations Sought for Leadership Awards

The mission of the Oregon Chapter of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges is to inspire, champion, and celebrate the talents within each of us. To recognize and celebrate this mission, the AAWCC-Oregon Board of Directors is accepting nominations for the prestigious 2021 Carolyn DesJardins Leadership Award and the Community College Excellence Awards. The Carolyn DesJardins award will be given to someone who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and made a significant contribution to community colleges.

Criteria for receiving the award will include demonstrated ability to inspire, champion, or celebrate women as leaders. The Community College Excellence Awards are chosen by campus AAWCC membership and celebrate individuals whose accomplishments made a difference for women at his or her own community college. The AAWCC-Oregon board will award a certificate to honor each Community College Excellence Award recipient at the Fall Conference.

The recipient of either award does not need to be a member of AAWCC to receive the award. Please visit the website at http://www.aawccoregon.org/awards/ by October 29, 2021 to submit nominations.  For questions, contact AAWCC-Oregon President Elect Teri Olsen.

CAMPUS CONNECTIONS

LINN-BENTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

by Marci Johnston

In May, we inducted new AAWCC officers, and this summer we met to plan out our activities for this next year. Many of our traditional in-person activities are not possible with our current COVID-19 restrictions so we hope to provide Zoom meetings on a variety of topics, guest speakers and plan some creative fundraising strategies for student scholarships over the next year. We have been working on establishing an "Emergency Fund" for those things that come up for students that could stop them from continuing their education. We are excited to reconnect this year with some staff that we haven't seen for over a year!

LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

By Donna Zmolek

We are still working remotely at Lane, so there hasn't been much to report for our AAWCC Chapter. But Lane as a college will be going through another transition soon. President Margaret Hamilton has announced her retirement as of June 2021, and the Board of Education has selected ACCT Searches, a division of the Association of Community College Trustees, to conduct the search for Lane's eighth president. President Hamilton has always been supportive of the AAWCC mission, and we have enjoyed her leadership and tenacity over the last few years keeping Lane going strong through enrollment challenges, preparing for our upcoming accreditation visit, and maneuvering through the pandemic! We will miss her boisterous laugh and willingness to jump in and lend a hand in all situations--big and small--but wish her all the best in retirement.

HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING COMMISSION/

COMMUNITY COLLEGES WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

By Donna Zmolek

We want to give a big CONGRATULATIONS to AAWCC-Oregon's illustrious leader, Donna Lewelling, on her new position as HECC's Director of the Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development! In addition to inspiring, championing, and celebrating the women of Oregon's community colleges, Donna has served HECC and CCWD in a variety of roles over the years, starting in 2007 as the Executive Assistant to the Commissioner of CCWD and taking on positions of higher responsibility within the organization. When HECC was created in 2013, Donna served as the Policy Analyst and Team Lead for the University Team and was then hired as the Deputy Director of CCWD in 2016. Since accepting that role, Donna has completed her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and her Master's Degree in Management and Leadership. We are all so fortunate to have Donna's leadership inspiring our members in AAWCC-Oregon and look forward to the many accomplishments she will bring to our group and the important work of community colleges in the future.

See you virtually at the Fall Conference!

November 18 and 19, 2021

AAWCC-Oregon is an organization developed by Oregon women in community colleges for anyone who supports the mission of Oregon AAWCC: To inspire, champion, and celebrate the talents within each of us.