Our District

Central - Dr. Mildred W. Ollée

Dr. Mildred W. Ollée, an educator and administrator with experience at colleges throughout the Pacific Northwest, was named president of Seattle Central Community College in June 2003.

Ollée began her career in higher education as a faculty member at Walla Walla Community College. In 1970, she became a counselor at Seattle Central and rose to the position of Vice President of Student Services, a job she held from 1987 to 1995. In 1995, she became Executive Dean/President of Cascade Campus in the Portland Community College District. At Cascade, Dr. Ollée oversaw a diverse urban college as well as three Workforce Training Centers. Known for her active community involvement and many collaborative projects, Dr. Ollée established successful relationships with local, state, and national agencies that led to increased financial support for the college and awards for excellence in workforce development programs. Her wide-ranging civic activities and board memberships include work with Park Hill Rotary; American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Academic, Student, and Community Development; The President’s Roundtable; United Way; Northwest International Woman’s Conference; Private Industry Council; and Tacoma and Portland Chapters, The Links, Inc. Dr. Ollée earned her doctorate in educational leadership from Seattle University in 1988.

North - Dr. Ron LaFayette

Dr. Ron LaFayette came to North Seattle Community College in July 2001, bringing experience as an educator and administrator at colleges across Washington state. LaFayette began his career in higher education 25 years earlier at Seattle Central Community College, where he served as Assistant Director for the Regional Program for Deaf Students. A clinical and educational audiologist, he had also worked for Bellevue Public Schools and owned his own practice in Seattle. He later served as Associate Dean of Instruction at Seattle Central and Director of the Urban Center at Western Washington University; Executive Vice President at the Spokane Community College District Institute for Extended Learning; interim president for Spokane Community College; and interim Director of Workforce Education for the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Dr. LaFayette has published a number of research papers in his field of education for hearing-impaired adults and has extensive experience consulting with colleges nationally and internationally.

South - Dr. Jill Wakefield

Dr. Jill Wakefield was appointed president of South Seattle Community College in January 2003. She is recognized for the depth of her experience in community college education, having served the college for more than 25 years in a variety of posts, most recently as Vice President for Instruction since 1995. Among her accomplishments, Wakefield is responsible for reorganizing and developing new instructional programs and for her leadership of college-wide strategic planning and accreditation, which received commendations in six major areas. Wakefield has also taught as a part-time faculty member at Seattle University and at South Seattle. Her research, presentations and publications have been focused on business and college partnerships that lead to more effective training and fund development. She was honored as Communicator of the Year by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations and was selected for the Institute for Executive Management at Harvard University and the Executive Leadership Institute sponsored by the League for Innovation.