Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Harper, Frisbee join PCC Board of Directors

Photos and story by James Hill

PORTLAND, Ore. – Two new faces will be officially added to Portland Community College’s Board of Directors. Jim Harper and Denise Frisbee were elected to their respective zones in May and will be sworn in at 7:30 p.m. at the Thursday, July 21 board meeting in the conference rooms at the Sylvania Campus, 12000 S.W. 49th Ave. Jim Harper is the new Board member for Zone 4 (includes parts of southwest/northwest/southeast and downtown Portland), replacing Dana Anderson. He has spent more than 40 years with PCC. Hes been a student, a volunteer and a corporate user of the many quality services PCC provides. He sat on the PCC Foundation board for the last 18 years, including serving as the board chair from 1990 to 1992."I am very excited to be on the PCC Board of Directors and Im looking forward to the job," Harper said. "Accessibility and affordability are what I want to work on. I want to continue to provide quality education that PCC always has delivered. We do a wonderful job and we will continue to do it."Harper is the vice president of administration for Morrison Child and Family Services. He has also served as executive director for Arras Inc., School-To-Career liaison for Multnomah County, director of Human Resources at Wacker Siltronic Corp and was a division manager for Tektronix, Inc. He has been an active member with the PCC budget committee. He has also been a member of the Governor’s School Transformation Advisory Council, Mayor’s Business Round Table (Portland), Regional Strategies Board for Multnomah and Washington Counties and Workforce Investment Act Youth Council.Harper holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Portland State University. Denise Frisbee is the newly elected PCC Board member for Zone 1 (includes Lake Oswego/Tigard/Tualatin/Sherwood), replacing Norma Jean Germond. She is an attorney and development services liaison with the City of Lake Oswego. She has an extensive community service background, including serving as campaign co-director for the local option levy for the Lake Oswego School District in 2004. Frisbee is currently on the Lake Oswego Asset Builders Coalitions steering committee. Frisbee has been a member of the Oregon State Bar since 1976. She has worked as an attorney and consultant for the Natural Resources Law Institute, assistant counsel for the Multnomah County Counsel’s Office, assistant attorney for the City of Portland Attorney’s Office, land use hearings officer for Deschutes County, city attorney for Sisters, a consultant on projects for the Metropolitan Service District, Tri-Met and Lake Oswego School District, and has worked with several private practices."I am looking forward to working with the Board of Directors to further the mission of the college and address the challenges of state funding," Frisbee said. "I have been so impressed by the talents of the board members, the president, administrators, faculty and students, and by their affection for and commitment to PCC and its future. I am excited about being part of such a strong team with a strong mission."Frisbee earned a law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Smith College in Massachusetts. The PCC Board of Directors, elected to four-year terms, is responsible for the budget, the hiring of the district president, staff and faculty, and overall policy direction and governance of the college. Board meetings are held twice a month, in the evening, generally on the first and third Thursdays. This is a volunteer position; board members are not paid for their services.####Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon, serving approximately 85,000 full- and part-time students at three comprehensive campuses, five workforce training and education centers, and 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.