Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

LIFE LESSONS: Parting Thoughts From Dan Moriarty

Photos and Story by James Hill

by Bonnie DarvesSome people spend years mapping out their retirement, luxuriating in fantasies of leisurely mornings golfing a favorite course, sailing across a sparkling Caribbean bay, napping in a hammock on a breezy summer afternoon.Not Dan Moriarty. PCC’s president has decided that he’ll start thinking about retirement when it happens, when his work is done – and not a minute sooner. "That’s what’s going to happen. I’m just going to walk out,"Moriarty says of his now imminent retirement. "And my expectation is that it won’t be like sliding, or that metaphor of riding off into the sunset. It’s going to be like going over the falls or jumping off a cliff."And, he adds jokingly, "I don’t play golf."That’s not to say Moriarty isn’t looking forward to retiring or is expecting to make the transition poorly. It’s just that he sees little point in planning ahead for a chapter that will unfold pretty much as it is supposed to, if he approaches it the same way he has embraced other chapters: with a firm belief that life is always just about what one makes it.Still, he acknowledges a certain amount of anxiety about the idea of not working. Growing up in an immigrant family in New York, Moriarty starting working at the age of 10, delivering newspapers. He learned early that work is not just something one is expected to do. Rather, it is the thing that defines us and shapes, to a great extent, the other facets of our lives. "In our family, work was the supreme value. It didn’t matter what kind of work you did, so long as you worked hard,"he says. That kind of work ethic cannot be abandoned at will, Moriarty says, and it is something that he cherishes in himself and in others. At the same time, he is very, very clear that a life made up only of work is less than gratifying. "I don’t buy into that stuff about 70- or 80-hour work weeks or never taking a vacation. I think what that begets is a kind of victimization at a high level. It’s supposed to generate sympathy, but in my case I don’t think it would,"he says. "What’s impressive about me is that I’ve always had time to take vacations and be with my family."Given the demands of the president’s office, Moriarty’s insistence on a balanced life is impressive. And try though he might to be best remembered for the traits that he holds dear, those who have had the good fortune to stand within the sphere of his remarkable energy will remember him for not only how hard he worked, but also for how adeptly he juggled the multitudinous responsibilities of his office – and kept a sense of humor. "I think Dan is very much his own person, but yet someone who is really in balance with himself,"says Mike Hereford, a PCC board director and human resources manager for Cascade Steel in McMinnville. "He has a lot of humility, which I think is very effective in a leader, and a great sense of humor. He has been an inspiration to me."Cheryl Hinerman, manager of work force development for Intel’s Northwest and international divisions, applauds Moriarty’s big-picture approach to meeting students’ and the community’s needs. "He really takes hold of things, and he has the ability to listen and to make connections,"she says. "Dan’s overall message has always been both employer-driven and community-sponsored – to provide opportunity for kids and for people who are making a career change."Moriarty understands that inspiring others comes with the turf. Of the myriad qualities he believes a CEO must have, the ability to inspire and to motivate are among the "non-negotiable"requisites, Moriarty says. "It’s all about leadership. People don’t want someone who is good at zero-based budgeting or who is a great strategic planner; you can hire people to do that better than a president can. However trite it may sound, the president needs to articulate a vision, reinforce values, set a tone about respect for people – and be a thorn in people’s sides to motivate them to do more, be better."In his 15 years as PCC president, Moriarty has placed precisely those high demands on himself, and has vowed to deal openly with each problem as it comes. Unflinchingly, if need be. When facing a difficult situation or criticism, he says, "You have to shrug off the barbs, steel yourself. You have to do the right thing and tough it out, and I think over the long haul, that serves you OK."Despite the pain he often felt during tough times at the college, Moriarty says that it never occurred to him to "barricade myself or hide out. That only exacerbates the situation,"he says.Over the years, Moriarty says, he personally, and the college as an institution, have experienced substantial challenges that tested him mightily. But sheer persistence and a refusal to allow tough times to deter him from what he believed needed to be done usually paid off. "We did three bond elections, and we didn’t have to do that,"he recalls of the four-year effort that finally met with success last fall. "We could have said, ?this is not the time to do this. The stars aren’t lined up right,’"Moriarty says, "but we didn’t. It was too important."During the dark times – Moriarty quantifies those as blessedly few, saying that the "good and happy times have been maybe 95 percent of the time"- he learned to rely on his support system of family and college staff, and to trust. The latter trait is another one he considers non-negotiable, and it’s one that doesn’t always come easily to people who are as fiercely independent and intensely competitive as he is. "In a job with this level of complexity, trust is very important – to be both trusting and trustworthy. The nature of the leadership you provide is through other people, and in many ways they give you the liberty of allowing you to lead,"he says.Closing the book on a career that has been commendable by any measure – Moriarty has won numerous awards for his innovation and leadership, and last year was named CEO of the Year by the Association of Community College Trustees. Moriarty reflects on what others have taught him. He sees that his colleagues have shaped him, helped him smooth out the rough edges of his own personality for the greater good of the college and community he serves. "I’m not a great process person. I do the process and I understand the importance of participation, but I’m impatient and I like to get things done,"he says. "Fortunately, I’ve been surrounded by people – excellent people – who are able to modify me in some way, and I think I have made some positive and good adjustments because of them."