Faculty
Jon Arakaki
Jon Arakaki relocated to Portland from New York with his wife and dogs during the summer of 2014. They are trying to get as close as possible to their families in Hawaii without actually moving there (too hot, crowded, and expensive)! He taught Mass Communication for eleven years at the State University of New York, College at Oneonta.
He received his M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Ph.D. in Communication and Society from the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. His areas of interest are mass media and popular culture, and the dams on the Columbia River.
Heather Lubay
Heather Lubay: Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Heather is a new full-time instructor in Journalism and Communication Studies and has been a part-time instructor with PCC since 2016, where she teaches both face-to-face and online courses. Heather holds a Master of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Point Park University. She has had extensive involvement with college committees, serving as a member of the Advancement of Educators Committee, the Learning Assessment Council, and the Academic & Career Pathways Implementation Design Team, among others. In addition, she is a Quality Reviewer for Online Learning, is the Journalism Dual-credit Liaison, and has worked as a writer for PCC Community Relations.
Heather is often found outside the classroom at a baseball field or llama farm, reading, stand-up paddle boarding, and exploring everything Oregon offers. She is also a public relations freelancer, helping local small businesses build community.
Susan Mann
Susan Mann: “They know enough who know how to learn.” When I read this quote by Henry Brooks Adams chiseled over a doorway in college, it resonated with me. Today, I continue my learning journey with my students here at PCC. While I started my undergraduate years as an art major, I ended them earning my BA in Technical Journalism from Oregon State University. After travel and a short stint as a server at a pizza joint, I began my career in corporate communications and public relations, and later in advertising. Yet teaching, instead of selling people unneeded stuff, was what I “wanted to do when I grew up.” So, like many of our PCC students, I returned to school, this time to earn my MS in Management Communication from the University of Portland. I have been teaching (and learning) ever since, first at the University of Portland and now at PCC Sylvania. When not teaching, traveling, taking photographs, or trying to keep up with family and new technology, I can be found wandering and pondering words of advice or wisdom chiseled on buildings, monuments, and sidewalks.