Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

2019 Academic Professional of Distinction Award Recipients

Posted by matt.coleman1

The Academic Professionals of Distinction award recipients were announced at the 2019 Academic Professionals Institute held June 19th at the Willow Creek Center. The recipients of the award were nominated in one of four categories and the final selections were made by their peers.

The 2019 APs of distinction are:

Jaime Rodriguez: Economic Development & Sustainability

Category criteria: This employee’s work contributes to a strong community and college. They may foster economic development in the community through business education, training, and partnerships. They may cultivate partnerships with government agencies, foundations and private sector entrepreneurs. Or, they may focus on the sustainability of infrastructure through management of finances, energy, waste, etc.

• Jamie has provided workforce development training for over 20 years and continues to be a highly knowledgeable expert in workforce training programs, funding and policy. He has assisted 1000’s of students and job seekers find their path to careers and livable wage employment. His many successes include being the front career specialist for area workforce partners such as the Hillsboro School District workforce programs, Centro Cultural, Community Action and Washington County Housing. He assists future CNAs, MAs, Truck Drivers, software programs and phlebotomist. He continues to be a mentor to all new APs in the Workforce Development to give the PCC region better economic sustainability.

Delores Pruett: Quality Affordable Education

Category criteria: This employee’s work contributes to the delivery or access of education. They may work with financial aid to provide students with affordable ways to pay for college; they may coordinate international education opportunities; they may develop and assist with online learning; or they otherwise contribute to students’ educational experience.

• Delores’ experiences as a first generation college student informs her work in helping students access financial aid. She takes extra time to walk students through the financial aid process and is always willing to carve out time to meet with students who get stuck along the way. An example of this is a couple of years ago; the government changed the login criteria for students to get access to their FAFSA. The new process has been a real obstacle for students, especially if they forgot the password they created. Delores went out of her way to learn all she could about the new process and to find ways around the hurdles it presented. Delores shows students that she cares about their success by going above and beyond to help them navigate the Financial Aid process.

J Gibbons: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Category criteria: This employee’s work contributes to the delivery or access of education. They may work with financial aid to provide students with affordable ways to pay for college; they may coordinate international education opportunities; they may develop and assist with online learning; or they otherwise contribute to students’ educational experience.

• J is the first full-time staff member of the SE QRC. In 2016 J started with just 2 student employees when the QRC was still in the space that now houses the Panther Pantry. Since then, J has scaled the program to have 6 student staff that put on over 30 events per year and a larger space offering more comprehensive resources. At a District level, J has provided critical work to help the college advance LGBTQ+ justice. As chair of the Gender Inclusive Spaces Committee, J spearheaded an 18-month campaign to open PCC’s first multi-stall All-User Restrooms to ensure equitable restroom access for transgender and non-binary students. J has also done significant work at Southeast and with District groups to provide education about pronouns and gender identity. J is an incredible resource for our campus, and we are honored to have them on our team.

Jana Daugherty: Student Success and Access

Category criteria: This employee’s work contributes to student success by making learning more accessible, reaching new audiences, ensuring continued student support, and preparing students to enter the workforce. They may focus on student engagement, leadership and co-curricular opportunities; culturally-specific programs focused on student retention; or providing guidance through academic or career support.

• Jana works as an outreach and recruitment coordinator for Future Connect and the greater college. District wide, Jana does outreach to high schools and community based programs. Beyond that however – her energy and enthusiasm around outreach is never ending. This last year she single-handedly reached more the 5000 high school students and made over 170 visits. She also instituted and managed a texting tool to reach students who shared an interest. Her ingenuity and passion for student access and success are limitless.