Clark College is a state-operated educational institution in Vancouver, Washington, that primarily offers associate degree programs. According to the latest data supplied to the U.S. Department of Education, there are nearly 10,000 students enrolled. African Americans make up just 2 percent of the student body.
The college recently announced a field of four finalists for president of the college. Two of the four candidates are Black women.
Since July 2014, Karin Edwards has been the president of Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus. For the previous 14 years, she was dean of student development and services at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, Connecticut. Dr. Edwards earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and her master’s degree in higher education administration at the University at Albany of the State University of New York System. She holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Since 2016, Lamata D. Mitchell has been vice president of instruction and academic operations at Pima Community College, a multi-campus college in Tucson, Arizona. Before that, she served at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois, in roles that included dean of communication, social sciences and humanities; dean of communication; and associate dean of communication and education. Dr. Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy at Trent University in Nottingham, England; a master’s degree in publishing and journalism at Loughborough University in England; a master’s degree in English at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan; and her doctorate in English at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
