Dr. Adrien Bennings will be Portland Community College's (PCC) next president after Mark Mitsui retires at the end of June, making her the first female permanent president of the higher education institution.
PCC did have a female interim president prior to Mitsui's hiring, when former Executive Vice President Sylvia Kelley served in the temporary role.
Bennings is currently the president of Kellogg Community College (KCC) in Michigan.
“Dr. Bennings brings demonstrated strengths as a strategic thinker and transparent decision maker; as a skilled and collaborative communicator, relationship builder and fundraiser; and as a strong advocate for equitable student success," said Mohamed Alyajouri, chair of PCC’s Board of Directors.
The future PCC president has taught courses in human resources development, academic development and retention, and small business development.
Before joining KCC, Bennings was the vice president of administration and finance and chief financial officer at Clovis Community College in New Mexico.
She has also served as the regional director of small business development at Texas Tech University, where she advanced economic development initiatives spanning a 16-county area.
Bennings earned a Doctorate in Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from Texas Tech University; a Master of Science in Business Administration with a Human Resources concentration from Wayland Baptist University; and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Development from Texas A&M University.
To learn more about the search process and/or Dr. Bennings, visit PCC's website.