Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Pulliams announces interim leaders for ELC, affirmative action office

Photos and story by James Hill

Preston Pulliams, district president of Portland Community College, announced that Craig Kolins has been promoted to interim campus president for the Extended Learning Campus and Southeast Center. He replaces Nan Poppe, who is set to retire. In addition, Claire Oliveros has been promoted to interim director of affirmative action. She replaces Sylvia Welch, who also is retiring.

Craig Kolins was hired at Portland Community College in 2002 and serves as dean of student development and dean of enrollment services at the Rock Creek Campus. He also served for approximately half a year as interim president before Katherine Persson was hired in 2006.

He moved to the Extended Learning Campus in 2006, where he served as dean of
instruction and student development. Prior to his arrival at PCC, Kolins worked at Mt. Hood Community College, Western Oregon University in Monmouth and Terra Community College and the University of Toledo.

Oliveros has been coordinator of the Multicultural Center since 1998. Prior to that, she was a part-time academic adviser at the Cascade Campus. She was named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in the United States in 2007 and her background makes her highly qualified for the affirmative action role. She was the first in her family to attend college, earning a bachelor’s in speech communication from Western Oregon University; a master’s in education from Portland State University; and recently obtained her doctorate in education with an emphasis in community college leadership at Oregon State University.