PIC hires Pam Brokaw
as executive director

Vancouver-based Partners in Careers, a nonprofit corporation helping people find work through training and placement in partnership with business and education, has named Pam Brokaw as its executive director. Brokaw is already filling this new position of hers.

Brokaw formerly served as executive director of another nonprofit corporation, one which built housing and provided educational services for local low-income families. She was district director for U.S. congressman Brian Baird and has served in local government.

“Pam has the skills to grow partnerships, manage our programs, and work collaboratively to meet pressing community needs,” says Mike Phillips, PIC board chair.

Partners in Careers, formerly known as the Private Industry Council, assists job seekers who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, seniors ages 55 and older, and people with disabilities. It also helps people transitioning from welfare to work, people with limited English proficiency, and refugees.

It is funded through the state department of Community Trade and Economic Development, United Way, grant support and community contributions. To contribute to PIC or volunteer in other ways, call Brokaw at 696-8417 or e-mail her at pam@swwpic.org.

Jack Hardy named communications
manager for Camas-Washougal port

Jack Hardy today was appointed communications manager for the Port of Camas-Washougal, reports executive director David Ripp.

In this new part-time position, Hardy will oversee public relations, advertising and marketing communications programs.

Hardy has 20 years’ experience in communications. He is the founder and principal of Niche Public Relations, and is an adjunct faculty member at both Portland State University School of Business and Marylhurst University.

Hardy is a graduate of Brigham Young University and earned a masters degree in business administration from George Fox University.

Vancouver superintendent of Schools
cuts his salary by 10 percent

The superintendent of Vancouver Public Schools, Steven Webb, encouraging district employee groups to follow his lead, will reduce his compensation voluntarily by 4.5 percent this school year to help lessen the impact of state budget cuts.

His salary will drop from $214,000 to $204,000.

Senate and House budgets, released last week, call for deep spending cuts in K-12 education. Vancouver Public Schools could lose between $5.6 million and $8 million in state revenue for 2009-10, according Webb.

The district’s total operating budget for this school year is $212 million.

On April 14, at a regularly scheduled school board meeting, Webb will present a set of budget solutions for the board to consider. Input received from staff and community members, along with criteria for making budget decisions, will help shape the list. Webb’s decision to reduce his own compensation follows a decision he and the board made last December to freeze administrative salaries for 2009-10.

Clark College 2008 Report
available only online

The Clark College 2008 report is available on the college website at www.clark.edu/annualreport in both flash and interactive PDF formats, reports college president Bob Knight, who noted that the 2008 annual report is being provided in electronic format only “with an eye toward budget considerations and sustainability.”

According to Knight, the annual report “reminds us that we were founded during the Great Depression by men and women who believed in a bright future for Southwest Washington. In 1933-34, five faculty members taught fewer than 20 students in one building in downtown Vancouver.”

Knight added, “Seventy-five years later, we are the second largest community and technical college in Washington State.

Succession Planning
workshop for employers

A succession planning workshop, so employers can depend on having highly qualified people in all positions at any time, is being held Tuesday, April 21, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at Clark College. Conducting the workshop will be Rachelle Jacover, owner and principal consultant with Strategies for Success, an international consulting firm in Portland.

For information or to register, phone 992-2939.

Tree pruning tips
on deck Saturday

Proper tree pruning tips and information about the hazards of topping trees are being offered at the Vancouver TreeTalk workshop from 9:30 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 11, in the Marshall Community Center, 1009 E McLoughlin Boulevard. Participants will also learn about a new community tree awareness campaign.

To register for the workshop, one of a series being presented by the Department of Public Works, call (360) 619-1108 or e-mail urbanforestry@ci.vancouver.wa.us. For more information, visit www.cityofvancouver.us/urbanforestry.

News brief

First Independent is a sponsor of the March for Babies Walk in Vancouver on April 25, 9:00 a.m., at the Vancouver Landing. Employees are paying to wear tennis shoes during the week of April 13, forming a walking team to fundraise for the event, and will cheer walkers at the start and finish line. The community is invited to participate by purchasing “blocks” in dollar increments up to $10, which will prominently display their support for March of Dimes at the First Independent branch where the block was purchased.

Calendar

Port of Ridgefield commissioners meet in regular session at 6 p.m. this evening in port offices at 111 W Division Street. <> The Southwest Washington Blood Program is holding a blood drive from 9:30 a.m. to noon, Thursday, April 9, in Underwriters Laboratories, 22600 NW Lake Road, Camas. <> The Three Creeks Advisory Council meets from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow, April 9, in the Clark Regional Wastewater District office, 8000 NE 52nd Court. The council will consider specific requests for changes in planning and zoning.

Community Calendar Links

• Southwest Washington Center for the Arts

• Greater Vancouver Chamber Community 

• City of Vancouver Calendar