Tiffani Penson Announces Campaign for PCC Board, Zone 2

Tiffani Penson was first elected to the Portland Community College Board in 2019. Penson was born and raised in Oregon and currently works for the City of Portland as the People + Culture Manager, responsible for deploying and operationalizing the city’s CORE Values of Anti-racism, Communication, Collaboration, Equity, Transparency and Fiscal Responsibility.

“The last three years have been full of challenges and heartbreak but also of deeds of great courage and commitment by PCC students, staff, and leaders,” stated Penson. "I believe that PCC provides a great service to our community, offering many pathways for people seeking to improve or enrich their lives.”

Penson highlights the accomplishments of PCC over the past three years, including:

• The passage, with 61% voter support, of a $450 million bond measure in 2022 that will add significant facility upgrades and new educational opportunities including the Oregon Manufacturing and Innovation Center bringing state of the art training to the far northwest section of the PCC service area in Scappoose. In addition, PCC is rebuilding the Portland Metropolitan Workforce Training Center in NE Portland and including an affordable housing component in partnership with Home Forward, a first for an educational facility in Oregon.
• Centering PCC’s mission of education and student support in responding to the pandemic shutdown, especially by partnering with Multnomah County Health Department to reach to the PCC community, using education rather than mandates to answer questions about the Coronavirus and to overcome reluctance of some communities historically poorly served by the medical establishment.
• Ensuring that students had the supports they needed to succeed, including flexible class schedules to fit students’ lives, multiple pathways to fit the needs of students, childcare at sites and hosting food pantries for students.
• The hiring of a new president, Adrien Bennings,PhD, who brings a strong management background to help rebuild PCC from inside as well as a strong marketing interest, so that we can reach the community and bring them in.

“I know we have work to do to fulfill the promise of a pathway to prosperity for every member of our community and pledge to continue demanding excellence of this great community resource,” concluded Penson.

The election for PCC board is set for May 16, 2023.