Board members
The PCC Board of Directors consists of seven members elected by zones to four-year terms. The board members govern the college which includes selecting the president, approving the hiring of other staff and faculty, approving the college budget, and establishing policies that govern the operation of the college.
Laurie Cremona Wagner
(she/her/hers)
Elected in 2021
Represents Zone 1 | See a map of Zone 1
Contact Laurie Cremona Wagner
Ms. Cremona Wagner is the Vice President of Marketing Operations and Strategy at Pure Storage, a global high tech company redefining data storage. She has over 25 years of experience in both the building and high-tech industries; including software, hardware and services. Ms. Cremona Wagner began her career in the building industry as a design and construction project manager in Silicon Valley.
Cremona Wagner co-chaired Portland Community College’s Business Advisory Committee and was a member of PCC’s Computer Information Services Advisory Board. She serves on the board of Clackamas Women’s Services. She is a certified LEED Accredited Professional with the U.S. Green Building Council. She was appointed by Governor Kulongoski to the Oregon School Facilities Task Force and by Governor Brown to the Oregon Workforce and Talent Development Board, on which she currently serves.
Cremona Wagner has lived in Oregon for 13 years. She resides in Lake Oswego with her husband and their 4 teenage children, who all attend Lake Oswego public schools as they prepare to enter both the local workforce and higher education system.
Ms. Cremona Wagner holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Stanford University, and a master’s degree in Civil Engineering and Construction Management also from Stanford University. As a fellow at Stanford’s Center for Integrated Facilities Engineering (CIFE), Cremona Wagner published research to increase the efficiency of complex building construction in the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management.
Tiffani Penson, Chair
Elected in 2019, Elected in 2023
Represents Zone 2 | See a map of Zone 2
Contact Tiffani Penson
Tiffani Penson is a native Oregonian and very involved in the community. She is currently the People + Culture Manager at the City of Portland responsible for deploying and operationalizing the city’s CORE Values of Anti-racism, Communication, Collaboration, Equity, Transparency, and Fiscal Responsibility.
The People + Culture portfolio includes the Focused Outreach and Recruitment Program, High School Outreach Program, Minority Evaluator Program, SummerWorks Internship Program, Together As One Program and the We Are Better Together Program.
In her past roles as the Supplier Diversity Officer, she worked with Disadvantage, Minority-owned, Women-owned, Emerging Small Business and Service Disabled Veteran-owned businesses connecting them to business technical assistance and contracting opportunities within the City of Portland. She still continues to manage the SummerWorks program established when she served on the Education team as the Bureau Support Manager for the Office of Mayor Sam Adams. This Education team was also instrumental in co-creating the Future Connect Program, which currently resides at Portland Community College.
Tiffani specializes in building valuable city internal and external community relationships, creating and executing programs to improve the employee experience, build a culture that provides access and opportunity for all, expands youth engagement, improves government processes and policies, and creates culturally specific outreach opportunities for the city resulting in successful sustainable city partnerships and programs.
Chair Penson also serves on the board of KairosPDX, Oregon Humanities and the Oregon Native American Chamber.
Kien Truong
(he/him/his)
Elected in 2023
Represents Zone 3 | See a map of Zone 3
Contact Kien Truong
Born and raised in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, Kien immigrated to the United States in 2014 at the age of 17 to join his grandparents and much of his extended family. He has resided in Southeast Portland since August 2014 and proudly became a U.S. citizen in November 2021.
During his time at PCC, Kien established a proven record of being a collaborative and effective student leader. As Student Trustee and District Student Council Chair, he successfully advocated for holistic student support policies that tackled the barriers our college students continue to face today such as food and housing insecurity, childcare accessibility and the rising cost of textbooks. At the national level, Kien served on the Association of Community College Trustees’ Student Trustee Advisory Committee which helps inform the ACCT Board about federal policy matters. In this role, he advocated to Oregon’s federal delegation about policies that better support our students such as reforming the SNAP benefit requirement for college students, simplifying the FAFSA form and increasing Pell Grant funding.
Being part of PCC’s Future Connect, a scholarship and support program for first-generation and low-income students, Kien understands the importance of student-centered operations. He brings to the board his lived experience, professional background and deep commitment to ensure the College addresses the needs of students and its surrounding communities.
Currently, Kien is the Chief of Staff for Oregon State Senator Kayse Jama, focusing on housing, labor, business and immigration policies. Previously, he served as Multnomah County’s Community Involvement Committee Co-Chair, Portland Public Schools’ Gear Up College Advocate Mentor, Portland Police Bureau’s AAPI Advisory Council Member and Lutheran Community Services Northwest’s School Assistant for Refugee Newcomers.
Mari Watanabe, Vice Chair
Appointed in 2023
Represents Zone 4 | See a map of Zone 4
Contact Mari Watanabe
Mari Watanabe has lived in the Portland Metro region for 23+ years, moving from Seattle in 2000. She brought her desire and commitment to make a difference in her community while working in the corporate and nonprofit sectors until her recent retirement in October 2023.
After 25 years in the apparel industry working for national manufacturers such as Nike, Nordstrom, and Union Bay Sportswear, Mari made a shift to the nonprofit sector in 2008 working for the Japanese Museum of Oregon as its first executive director. She then moved to the Portland Business Alliance serving as both the director of Leadership Portland and as the executive director of Partners In Diversity (PID) in 2012. Mari became the full-time PID executive director in 2019.
At Partners In Diversity, an award-winning nonprofit, Mari oversaw all aspects of this organization whose mission is to help employers recruit, support, and retain professionals of color in Oregon and southwest Washington. They accomplished this through numerous diversity, equity, and inclusion educational programs for employers and through programs that connect our multicultural community. She grew the organization from 40 employer members to 400 and increased staff to six full-time positions over the years.
She has served on national and local boards and commissions including the Oregon Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, the Beaverton Diversity Advisory Board, the City Club of Portland, the National Veterans Network, which worked to win the Congressional Gold Medal for Japanese American veterans of WWII, the Center for Women’s Leadership, the World Oregon Advisory Board, the Japan-America Society of Oregon, plus others.
Mari has been awarded the FBI Community Service award, the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Oregon Commission for Women, the Community Service Award by the NAACP, and the Ted Yamamura Leadership Award by Executive Development Institute, plus others.
Dan Saltzman
Appointed in 2019, Elected 2021
Represents Zone 5 | See a map of Zone 5
Contact Dan Saltzman
Dan Saltzman is a Portland native who served as a Multnomah County Commissioner from 1993 to 1998 and as a commissioner on the City Council of Portland from 1999 until 2018. During his time on the city council, he created the Office of Sustainable Development in 2000 and the Portland Children’s Levy in 2002. His many accomplishments as a city council member include securing the land for North Portland’s Bridge Meadows, finding a permanent home for the Miracles Club, securing voter approval for Portland’s first-ever affordable housing bond measure, completing the Big Pipe project to clean up the Willamette River, and founding the Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Services.
He also serves on the national board of Friends of the Children and on the board of Bridge Meadows.
Director Saltzman previously served on the Portland Community College Board of Directors for ten years, from 1989 to 1999. He is a Beaverton High School graduate who earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and his Master of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Greg McKelvey
(he/him/his)
Elected in 2023
Represents Zone 6 | See a map of Zone 6
Contact Greg McKelvey
Greg McKelvey is a highly accomplished saxophonist, composer, conductor, and educator living in Aloha, Oregon. He shares his life with his wife Connie, who is an attorney, and a large family consisting of six children, seventeen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
With an unwavering passion for music education, Greg has dedicated over forty years to teaching in public schools. During his tenure at Wilson High School from 1982 to 1994, Greg’s bands achieved remarkable success. They earned over 150 trophies and attracted students from all corners of Portland. The Wilson Wind Ensemble, under his guidance, secured seven league championships and participated in the state competition eight times.
The pinnacle of his career came when the “Green Machine,” Greg’s Advanced Jazz Band, claimed first place at the 1990 Music Fest USA National Championships in Oakland, California. This achievement led to the band performing for Presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. Greg’s influence extended beyond high school, as he co-founded the Cultural Recreation Band with Thara Memory and Ronnye Harrison, providing opportunities for inner-city elementary and middle school musicians to thrive. Notably, Grammy Award Winner and PCC alumna Esperanza Spalding emerged from this program.
Greg’s teaching career took him to several institutions, including Jackson High School, Rieke Elementary School, Sabin Elementary School, Marshall High School, and Portland Community College. Currently, he serves as the director of bands at Battle Ground High School in Battle Ground, Washington, where his bands consistently win prestigious awards and competitions.
His dedication to music education has garnered numerous accolades, such as the “Teachers Make a Difference Award,” the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from Warner Pacific University, and recognition as the 2016 Teacher of the Year in the Battle Ground School District. Greg’s impact reaches far and wide, as he is often sought after as a clinician for school music programs and festivals. His passion for teaching and his commitment to excellence continue to inspire young musicians to pursue their dreams and achieve greatness in the world of music.
Zone 7
Vacant until further notice.
Joshua Hutchinson
Elected in 2024
Student Trustee
Contact Joshua Hutchinson
Born and raised in New Jersey, Joshua Hutchinson has been living in Portland since 2022. With a background in both construction and project management, Joshua has been able to serve as a vocal leader for students at PCC. He is currently studying philosophy and business administration, with the goal of pursuing a career in business law.
In addition to being a student, Joshua currently holds office as President of the Associated Students of Portland Community College after serving as Vice President in the last academic year. He is also an officer within the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society as both Chapter President of PTK’s Alpha Eta Iota chapter and Northern District Executive in PTK’s Rocky Mountain-Cascade Regional Office. In these roles, Joshua has been instrumental in developing collaborative relationships between organizations and student groups within and beyond PCC, and plans to continue building these bridges as Student Trustee. His goal as Trustee is to help foster a learning environment that uplifts and amplifies student voices and is committed to the wellbeing and success of students and the growth and development of the ASPCC as a tool to help student issues be visible and heard.