The Seattle College District is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Washington State Governor and approved by the State Senate for sequential five-year terms. The primary responsibility of the Board of Trustees is to meet the changing educational needs of the community while reflecting the community’s values in fulfilling the college mission.
Trustees certify the consistency of college missions and goals, formulate policy, and ensure effective leadership and responsible use of resources. They are responsible for hiring the chancellor, who is the chief executive officer of the Seattle College District and reports to the Board.
The chancellor is the chief executive officer of the Seattle College District who is hired by and reports to the Board of Trustees. The chancellor is the district’s representative and advocate at local, regional, state and national organizations. The chancellor is responsible for district-wide administrative services and support including Education, Planning, e-Learning and Workforce Development; Business, Finance and Technology; and Human Resources. Additionally, the chancellor is responsible for Seattle Colleges Television and web operations; district-wide international student programs; and institutional advancement.
The chancellor hires the individual college presidents, who are responsible for the operation and management of the three colleges. College presidents also serve as vice chancellors responsible for coordinating district-wide Instruction, Student Services and Advancement.
2017 District-Wide Organizational Chart (updated April 2018)
Seattle City Light General Manager & CEO Jorge Carrasco is known across the country for his leadership in public and private utilities, as well as civic government, with career positions in New Jersey, Arizona, the Bay Area and Texas.
He is Co-Chair of the Alliance to Save Energy. He was previously president at New Jersey-based American Water Services and general manager of East Bay Municipal Utility District in California, which served more than one million customers. Earlier in his career, he served as City Manager of Scottsdale, Ariz. and Austin, Texas.
As leader at City Light, Trustee Carrasco has reduced the utility’s debt and implemented financial policies that resulted in bond rating up-grades. He is committed to developing a highly trained workforce. During his tenure he has added 60 line worker positions and overseen the growth of City Light’s apprenticeship program from 30 positions in 2006 to 100 in 2009.
Trustee Carrasco has supported and expanded City Light’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Since 2005, City Light has achieved zero-net greenhouse gas emissions, the first electric utility in the country to so. The utility has added hundreds of acres for habitat protection along the Skagit River to benefit fish and wildlife. Dam management practices have resulted in enhanced salmon runs on the Skagit.
Trustee Carrasco grew up in Laredo, Texas, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin, and earned an MBA from St. Edwards University in Austin.
Businesswoman Carmen Gayton is a well-known managing broker with Windermere Real Estate, where she specializes in relocation and is a certified relationship marketing specialist. Previously, she held leadership positions in Human Resources at the Weyerhaeuser Company and at Coopers & Lybrand LLP.
Trustee Gayton is equally well known for her service on the boards of organizations such as ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists), PONCHO (Patrons of Northwest Civic, Cultural and Charitable Organizations), The Lakeside School, and the YWCA. In addition, she is a sustainer with the Junior League of Seattle and has volunteered with Treehouse and the Northwest African-American Museum Gala Committee.
She received the Dorothy Stimson Bullitt Community Service Award from the Junior League of Seattle in 2014 and recognized by the Asian Weekly for Women and Money: Making a Difference. The Washington State African Achievement Awards recognized her as one of the recipients of the 2017 Women of Distinction honorees.
Trustee Gayton is originally from South Carolina, where she attended Clemson University and earned a B.S. degree in Mathematical Sciences with a Biology Option. She has lived in Seattle for more than 25 years.
Louise Chernin is president and CEO of the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), the largest LGBT Chamber of Commerce in the United States. The GSBA has over 1,200 members. In addition to business development and advocacy on behalf of business and civil rights, GSBA sponsors a Scholarship Fund that has awarded over $2.7 million to 500 LGBTQ students in Washington state. Our students have received many of these scholarships.
In addition to her role with GSBA, Louise has served on a number of city, state and national boards and task forces. Louise was named by the Puget Sound Business Journal as one of the top 20 most influential women in Puget Sound. In 2010, the Economic Opportunity Institute honored Louise with its Aubrey Davis Award for Progressive Leadership, and in 2011 U.S. Congressman Jim McDermott honored her with his Community Leadership and Service Award. The Seattle Storm presented Ms. Chernin with its 2013 Inspiring Women award, and in January 2015 the UW Women’s Center honored her with its Women of Courage Award. This past year, Louise was honored by the Puget Sound Business Journal with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Louise is a longtime supporter of our colleges and our students. She is excited about serving our community as a member of the board of trustees.
Trustee Hill has a broad background working with public agencies and in the private sector. He served as director of the state Department of Retirement Systems starting in 2009, and as director of the Health Care Authority from 2005 to 2010. He also has served on the Washington State Investment Board and the Washington State University Board of Regents. He is currently a member of the boards for The Seattle Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Seattle City Club, KUOW, and MODA Health. He also teaches Management in the Seattle program for Presidio Graduate School.
Trustee Hill entered public service following a career in the business community. In 2003, he retired as senior vice president of human resources for the Weyerhaeuser Company after a 32 year career.
He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA degree from University of California at Los Angeles.
Teresita Batayola is CEO of International Community Health Services, Washington state’s largest Asian and Pacific Islander non-profit organization providing primary health care services. Prior to entering the health care field, Batayola worked and practiced in economic development, community and international development, and strategic planning.
Batayola is president of the Washington Association of Community and Migrant Health Centers and serves on the boards of the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, the Community Health Plan, Community Health Network and the Community Clinic Contracting Network.
An active spokesperson and public speaker on affordable health care, Batayola was named by Seattle Business Magazine as an outstanding leader in health care in 2010, and was recognized in 2014 as a White House Champion of Change for increasing access to health care coverage.
Batayola holds a BA in Public Affairs from Seattle University and an MS in Urban Administration from Bucknell University.
Dr. Edwards Lange has a wide range of experience in higher education administration and has been a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion throughout her career. She started her tenure as interim president of Seattle Central in August of 2015. Prior to this, she served as vice president for Minority Affairs and vice provost for Diversity at UW. In these roles, she was responsible for increasing diversity and working with senior leadership to improve the campus climate and retention of diverse students, faculty and staff. As a result of her work, the entire UW community is now engaged in making the campus more inclusive and welcoming for people of all backgrounds.
Before joining UW, Dr. Edwards Lange worked for the Seattle Colleges District and at North Seattle College in education and planning. Additionally, she has held positions in academic and student services at the University of California, Irvine; Western Washington University; and UW.
Dr. Edwards Lange has served on a number of national, state and local committees and boards to advance equity and inclusion in higher education. She is a charter member of the National Association of Chief Diversity Officers. She is also a member of the Women in Engineering and Program Advocates Network (WEPAN), the Association for the Study of Higher Education, the American Educational Research Association and the Association for Institutional Research.
The recipient of UW's 2005 Diversity Award for Community Building, Dr. Edwards Lange has devoted much of her time and effort to community activism and serving as an advocate for diversity in higher education. In 2011, she was named a Woman of Influence by the Puget Sound Business Journal and received a Crystal Eagle Leadership Award at Tabor 100's annual Captains of Industry Gala. In 2013, Dr. Lange was honored for her extraordinary long–term service to WEPAN with the organizationa's Founder's Award. She also received the 2013 UW College of Education Distinguished Graduate Award.
Dr. Edwards Lange earned a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies and a Master of Public Administration from UW, and a bachelor's degree in social ecology from the University of California, Irvine.
Dr. Warren Brown has led instruction and student services at several colleges and brings an unwavering commitment to students and their success. He has more than 20 years of experience in the community college system, serving as an administrator at Seattle Central College, Cascadia Community College, Pierce College and Whatcom Community College. As executive vice president at Central, he facilitated instructional planning that led to the development of new applied baccalaureate degrees in allied health and nursing and a new associate degree in allied health. His career also includes experience as a tenured instructor in communication studies at Pierce College and as an instructor at Portland State University.
Brown holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Higher Education from the University of Washington. His research on multicultural curriculum development in online courses has been published in journals including Community College Journal of Research and Practice and Multicultural Education and Technology Journal. He earned his master’s degree in speech communication at Portland State University and his bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington.
An adjunct faculty member for Seattle University’s doctoral program in educational leadership, Brown is a mentor to community college administrators through the Washington Executive Leadership Academy. He serves on the board of University Family YMCA and is a member of the American Educational Research Association.
Peter Lortz was named interim president of South Seattle College on Sept. 1, 2017. He had been vice president of Instruction at South since January 2015.
Lortz has worked with community colleges for more than 20 years. He started his career as an adjunct instructor in Biology, Anatomy & Physiology and Environmental Science. After teaching at several colleges in Washington and Ohio, he was hired as a full-time Biology faculty at North Seattle College in 1997. He was a tenured faculty member for approximately 10 years, which included work as the Curriculum Committee chair along with other committee and initiative work.
In 2007, Lortz was chosen to be dean of the Math, Sciences and Social Sciences division at North, marking the beginning of his administrative career. In addition to his duties as dean, he served as the interim IT director and interim vice president for Instruction. He also worked on various district and state groups, including the Negotiations Team for the Seattle Colleges faculty contract.
In January 2015, he transitioned to South as the vice president of Instruction.
Lortz has a masters’ degree in Zoology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, a bachelor’s degree in Biology from DePauw University, and has complemented his work experience with a variety of professional education opportunities including the “Power of Leadership” series from the Whidbey Institute and “Washington Executive Leadership Academy” from the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.
Dr. Shouan Pan was appointed chancellor of Seattle Colleges in July 2016. He spent the previous eight years as president of Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz. His other executive roles include provost of Broward College-South Campus; executive dean of Instruction and Student Services at Florida State College at Jacksonville; dean of Student Life at Community College of Philadelphia; and assistant professor of Educational Psychology and Recruitment and Retention Administrator at Northern Arizona University.
Pan centers his leadership and management practices on fulfilling the community college mission and promoting student and community success. He places emphasis on working with institutional and community stakeholders in formulating a common vision and building consensus on strategic and operational decisions. His professional success is evidenced in his strong track record of improving student success; building collaborative partnerships with educational institutions, businesses, and civic organizations to further institutional goals and community economic development; and securing external resources.
He is actively engaged at local, state, and national levels, including the American Association of Community Colleges, Campus Compact, Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, Arizona Commission of Postsecondary Education, and numerous community boards. He has received several honors and awards, including the Benedictine Values Award, Paul Elsner International Excellence in Leadership Award, Innovation of the Year Award by the League for Innovation in the Community College, Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, and the Veora E. Johnson Spirit of Unity MLK Award by the Mesa MLK Jr. Celebration Committee.
Chancellor Pan's full bio
Vice Chancellor Kurt Buttleman is a financial administrator with significant experience in higher education. Dr. Buttleman is responsible for monitoring the Seattle College District’s $180 million annual budget, and for district-wide accounting, information technology, purchasing, web services, and trucking/receiving departments as well as for district-wide risk management and campus copy centers.
Dr. Buttleman began his career in community college administration 13 years ago as the Director of Research and Finance for the National Initiative for Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness at North Carolina State University. He has worked for the Seattle Colleges as a senior financial analyst, administrative services manager, and vice president of administrative services at South Seattle College. In recognition of his achievements, he received a national award as Outstanding Chief Business Officer from the Community College Business Officers (CCBO) organization in 2006.
He currently serves on the executive board for Community College Business Officers and as a board member of a number of other local non-profit organizations. Dr. Buttleman has a bachelor of science degree in finance from the University of Illinois, an M.B.A. from the University of Washington and a doctorate in education from North Carolina State University.
David Blake, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP was appointed Vice Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Officer in May 2016.
Previously, Dr. Blake served as the Assistant Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Oregon State University. In that capacity, he was responsible for all human resources services, public safety, risk, and facility operations delivered to the university serving 26,000 students and 10,000 employees. He has held senior HR positions for the University of San Diego, National University, Abbott Laboratories and Guidant Corporation. He is a twenty year retired enlisted member of the United States Air Force.
Dr. Blake has over 30 years’ experience in the human resources field holding positons in the private, public, and governmental sectors. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct faculty member for several universities where he teaches advanced level courses related to human capital management as well as leadership. He has written and published a wide variety of articles about workforce engagement, benefits, and learning and development.
Dr. Blake has led several successful human resource projects designed to increase employee satisfaction ranging from ERP implementations (SAP and Oracle) to increase employee access; creation of HR shared services model, compensation and classification programs, benefit design plan redesign that moved from treating illness to creating healthy lifestyles, and the implementation of flexible work arrangements that recognize the changing needs of workers.
Dr. Blake is a strong advocate of community and professional service. He has served as Board Member for the San Diego Workforce Partnership and is currently a member of the Linn-Benton, Oregon Workforce Partnership focusing on issues of workforce strategy and development. He is currently a board member for Benton County, Oregon, Habitat for Humanity. He is Past President of the Southern California College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR); Past Chair, CUPA-HR Western Region; and Chair-Elect of the CUPA-HR National Board.
Dr. Blake holds a Bachelor’s degree in Vocational Education, Southern Illinois University; a Master’s degree in Management, University of Redlands; and a Doctorate in Organization in Management-HR Emphasis, Capella University. His research interests are directed towards understanding and adapting HR programs to meet generational needs. He is a long-term holder of the Senior Professional in Human Resources certification.
Board Member Institution of the League for Innovation