District Winners

2022 District 7 Pacesetter

Dr. Lisa Skari
President
Mt. Hood Community College
Gresham, OR

Dr. Lisa Skari is a passionate advocate for community colleges and their transformative nature, and in her four years at Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC), she has shifted the college focus to community and equity.

Under her leadership, the college has created an equity lens used in all decision-making. In partnership with the board of education, all policies have been reviewed and updated with diversity, equity and inclusion-related language. She created the Office of Student Basic Needs, and secured funding to establish the Equity Center, a one-stop center that includes services like TRIO, the Multicultural Development Resource Center and a food pantry. Thanks to the college’s Equity Strategic Plan, a traditional strategic plan centered on equity, MHCC administration grew from 33% to 58% persons of color. For these accomplishments, MHCC received the 2021 Association of Community College Trustee’s Charles Kennedy Equity Award.

Throughout Dr. Skari’s career she has shared her knowledge at regional and national conferences. One significant contribution came from her doctoral research, on the philanthropic giving of community college alumni. Through her study of 7,000 community college alumni across the United States, she found community college alumni did not transfer their philanthropic allegiance to their four-year universities, as commonly believed; and community college alumni who gave to their university were nearly four times more likely to give to their community college alma mater. This information changed the way many community colleges thought about their alumni and their fundraising potential.

With a background in advancement, Dr. Skari’s use of marketing, PR and fundraising in her role as president is clear. She understands the importance of knowing the audience, staying on message and adapting to the context at hand. In 2013, she won District 7’s Communicator of the Year award. 

“Having a president that understands the nuances of marketing and public relations allows the marketing and PR staff to focus on strategy and implementation rather than explaining or defending marketing decisions,” writes Al Sigala, MHCC’s vice president for college advancement and Dr. Skari’s nominator.

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