2025 District 7 Communicator
Casey White-Zollman
Communications Director
Oregon Community College Association
Salem, OR
What is one way Casey has made a difference in marketing the Oregon Community College Association (OCCA)? Casey led the creation of a statewide website to showcase career pathways, allowing students to explore programs across colleges and connect with the institutions that best match their interests. In addition, she has overseen OCCA’s comprehensive rebrand, including a new logo, website and communications strategy. This is anchored by the monthly OCCA Digest, which reaches policymakers, leaders and stakeholders statewide. Casey demonstrates strategic vision and collaborative leadership with measurable results.
How does Casey demonstrate leadership and management ability? Casey has unmatched responsiveness and dedication. She provides the state’s campus advocacy coordinators with press releases, talking points, handouts and more, ensuring they have the tools needed to maintain a collective voice when meeting with state legislators. Her leadership in organizing one-click campaigns makes it simple for colleges to connect with legislators and ensures their voices are heard. She also creates the conditions for collective impact: By staffing statewide affinity groups such as Campus Advocacy Coordinators and Oregon Community College Marketing and Public Relations, Casey fosters collaboration and alignment across institutions. Her ability to manage diverse perspectives while keeping teams focused on common goals is a hallmark of her success.
How does Casey elevate the profession as a whole? Casey actively convenes and supports professional affinity groups, ensuring collaboration, shared resources and professional growth opportunities. She provides leadership and structure that empower colleagues at every institution to be more effective advocates and storytellers for their colleges. Casey also models excellence by leading projects that raise the visibility of the entire sector, from coordinating an award-winning legislative toolkit to spearheading the website that connects prospective students to community college programs.
Since 2020, Casey White-Zollman has served as the Oregon Community College Association's Communications Director, overseeing all association and statewide communications, public relations, website management, graphic design, newsletters, and event support. She began her career as an award-winning newspaper reporter before transitioning into K-12 education communications, supporting 18 school districts and running 14 successful bond campaigns (86% approval). She then spent more than five years as VP of College Relations at Blue Mountain Community College, OR, passing a $23M capital construction bond. A graduate of the University of Portland, Casey loves the outdoors, whether snowshoeing, camping, horseback riding, or sailing, as well as singing, wine tasting, and giving back to her community.