Board of Trustees

L to R:  Sue Cole, Chair; Barbara Rofkar; Tim Douglas
L to R:  Chuck Robinson; President Kathi Hiyane-Brown; Steve Adelstein

The government of Community College District No. 21, Whatcom Community College, is vested in a five-person board of trustees. The trustees are appointed by the governor and serve five-year terms and/or until their successors are appointed, and must reside within the College's district boundaries.The Board's duties include setting the College's strategic direction, establishing policy for the College, awarding tenure, approving the operating budget and hiring the College President.

The Whatcom Community College Board of Trustees generally holds its meetings on the second Wednesday of each month at 2 PM, unless changed by vote of the Board. Meetings are open to the public. At its annual June meeting, the Board elects a chairperson and vice-chairperson from the membership of the Board, and they serve for a term of one year.

The Schedule of 2009 Board of Trustees Meetings

• Link to the 2009 Board of Trustees Meeting Schedule

 Agenda for the Thursday, November 19, 2009 Board of Trustees Meeting

• Link to the Agenda for the November 19, 2009 Board of Trustees Meeting

Minutes of previous Board of Trustees meetings
may be found on this site below the bios of the trustees

SUE COLE, Board Chair

Appointed in October 2005;reappointed 2009; Board Chair July 2009-June 2010;Vice Chair July 2008 to June 2009.
Career Profile
Public Affairs Director, The Markets, LLC.
Education Profile
BA in Journalism and Political Science, Western Washington University.
Community and Professional Affiliations
Former chair, Bellingham Board of Adjustment; Member, Bellingham Public Library Board; Vice chair, Bellingham Public School Foundation; Member, Whatcom Community Foundation; Member, YWCA Board of Directors; Member, RSVP; Member, United Way Board of Directors; Honorary Member, Pearl Harbor Survivors Association; Editor, The Northern Light.

BARBARA ROFKAR

Appointed in November 2004; reappointed 2007. Board Chair July 2008-June 2009; Vice Chair 2006-June 2008.
Career Profile
Counselor and mediator with Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center and private practice for 22 years; part-time faculty at WWU.
Education Profile
MA and BA, Cultural Anthropology, Western Washington University, Minor: Psychology; Registered Nursing Program-Flower Hospital, Toledo, Ohio.
Community and Professional Affiliations
Founding board member of Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center; Chair, Whatcom Human Rights Task Force; American Red Cross. Past board activities: Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Whatcom County; Governor's Executive Task Force on Support Enforcement; Whatcom County Nuclear Arms Freeze; Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department; Whatcom Mental Health Board.

CHUCK ROBINSON 

Appointed in November 2005; Vice Chair July 2009 to June 2010.
Career Profile
Co-owner with wife Dee, of Village Books and Paper Dreams (a card and gift store).
Education Profile
Master of Education, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri; and Bachelor of Arts, Sioux Falls College (now University of Sioux Falls), Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Community and Professional Affiliations
Member, Board of Directors, Community Food Coop; member of Sustainabile Connections, and the Whatcom County Ethics Commission; former member, Board of Directors, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (founding Vice-President of ABFFE); former President of ABA; former member, Board of Directors, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association; past President of PNBA; Board Membership and Presidency, The Fairhaven Association; Board Membership, Whatcom Convention and Visitors Bureau; former Delegate to White House Conference on Small Business.

STEVE ADELSTEIN 

Appointed in October 2006. Career Profile
Partner, Adelstein, Sharpe & Serka, Attorney at Law.
Education Profile
J.D. Gonzaga University; B.A., Political Science, Western Washington University, Cum Laude.
Community and Professional Affiliations
Current member of the Rotary Club of Bellingham, and Board of Directors for the St. Luke's Foundation; former Director and Past President, Whatcom Volunteer Center; former Director Mt. Baker Theater; former Delegate for City of Bellingham, Downtown Development Association; Co-chair Mt. Baker Theater Campaign; former Chair, Citizen's Advisory Committee for School Bond and Levy, Bellingham School District #501; former Director, Western Foundation, Western Washington University; former Director and Past President, Interfaith Coalition; former Director, Law Advocates, Whatcom County; former Director, Red Cross; former Director, Visiting Nurse Home Health Care; former Director and Past President, Congregation Beth Israel; former Director, YMCA.

TIM DOUGLAS 

Appointed in October 2008.Career Profile
Retired. Mayor of Bellingham, WA, Nov. 2006-Nov. 2007 and 1984-1996; Country Director, Russia for United States Peace Corps, 2000-2003; Director, Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, 1997-1999; Western Washington University Dean of Students and other administrative posts, 1967-1983.
Education Profile
M.S. Indiana University-Higher Education Administration and Educational Psychology 1968; B.A. Washington State University-Foreign Languages (Russian and Spanish) 1965.
Community and Professional Affiliations
Past Board Chair, Board Member and Past President, North American Institute (NAMI)
Headquartered in Santa Fe; served on trinational panel for North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation; 4 terms on Executive Board of Association of Washington Cities; Puget Sound Water Quality Authority Board; Kulshan Community Land Trust Board; Bellingham Maritime Museum
Board; and past President Whatcom Coalition for Healthy Communities.

Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meetings for 2009

• September 23, 2009 -- BOT Meeting
• September 2, 2009 - BOT Special Legislative Joint Mtg w/BTC & Skagit
• No meeting scheduled for the month of August 
• July 15, 2009 BOT Meeting
• June 29-30, 2009 - BOT Retreat 
• June 12 & 19, 2009 -- BOT at Honors and Commencement Ceremonies 
• June 10, 2009 - BOT Meeting
• May 13, 2009 - BOT Meeting
• April 9, 2009 - BOT Meeting
• March 18, 2009 - Special Board Work Session
• March 9, 2009 - BOT Meeting
• February 18, 2009 - BOT Meeting
• January 14, 2009 - BOT Meeting

Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meetings for 2008

• December 10, 2008
• November 4, 2008
• October 15, 2008
• October 7, 2008 (Joint Meeting with BTC, Skagit, and State legislators)
• September 22, 2008
• August 19, 2008 (Meeting w/ President's Cabinet)
• July 22, 2008 (Meeting w/President's Cabinet)
• June 16, 2008
• May 14, 2008
• March 17, 2008
• February 7, 2008
• January 30, 2008 (Special Session Audit Review Meeting)
• January 22, 2008 (Legislative Dinner Meeting)
• January 9, 2008