Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

PCC’s Dina Farrell selected for prestigious NACUBO Fellowship

Photos and story by James Hill

Dina Farrell, associate vice president of finance for Portland Community College, has been named to the prestigious National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Fellows Program. Farrell is the second community college financial professional in the country to ever be selected to participate in this year-long leadership development program.

Farrell joined PCC in 2017 as the budget manager, working closely with the College President’s Cabinet throughout the biennial budget process. She ensured that the college’s budget was proposed, approved and adopted in accordance with Oregon Budget Law.

She continued in that role as well as assuming additional duties as the acting and interim associate vice president for finance in 2018. Farrell was named the permanent associate vice president position in July of 2019. She has over 20 years of relevant experience not only in higher education but in a variety of organizations including K-12 and the public healthcare industry.

“It is an honor to be selected to represent Portland Community College in the NACUBO Fellows program,” Farrell said. “I am excited by the opportunity to be able to meet, learn from, collaborate and share experiences with such a high-caliber group of leaders from across the country. I hope to form lasting professional relationships and learn some valuable management tools that will contribute to both my professional growth and the long-term success of PCC.”

The NACUBO Fellows Program selects higher education professionals from colleges and universities across the country for the intensive leadership development program. Over the year of the program, NACUBO Fellows work with higher education presidents, provosts, chief business officers (CBOs), and other experts as they expand their management, communications, and leadership skills.

The NACUBO Fellows Program is a proven launching pad to career growth. In the five years NACUBO has offered the leadership development program, more than a dozen graduates have been promoted to senior leadership positions.

“Strengthening and diversifying the pool of business and finance leaders in higher education is part of NACUBO’s DNA,” said NACUBO President and CEO Susan Whealler Johnston. “We are honored to welcome these impressive new NACUBO Fellows and look forward to helping them grow as leaders over the course of the next year.”

PCC earns 2021 AssetWorld Innovation Award

Software provider AssetWorks announced Portland Community College as the winner of its AssetWorld 2021 Innovation Award.

This honor recognizes an individual or organization that has been innovative in maximizing their AssetWorks suite of products. In addition, the award highlights customers who’ve changed the status quo by marrying the design intent of AssetWorks solutions with innovative ideas to solve challenges in facilities management.

AssetWorks focuses on solutions for real estate and facilities management across government, education and commercial sectors.

For a decade, PCC has used AssetWorks suite of services and implemented its various software solutions, including being early adopters of the company’s latest facilities management products. The college successfully launched its Facilities Condition Assessment four months ahead of schedule. The project allows PCC to view updated building and systems information on mobile devices in real time.

“Portland Community College continues to use the mobile application connected to their integrated system in their everyday work,” said an AssetWorks statement. “Not only does their condition assessment date get delivered accurately in real-time, but it also collects day-to-day operations data. Congratulations to the whole Portland Community College team on receiving this prestigious award.”