News Releases

April 19, 2016

For additional information: 
Toccara Stark
Telephone:  360-992-2526
Email:  tstark@clark.edu

This year’s breakfast will feature guest speaker Don Brunell, a partner at the communications firm Brunell Creative located in Vancouver, Wash. He is the retired president of the Association of Washington Business (AWB), and retired vice president of Gordon Thomas Honeywell-Governmental Affairs in Tacoma, Wash.  Nationally, he has served as chair of the National Industrial Council for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the Conference of State Manufacturing Associations (COSMA), and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board under Governors Lowry, Locke and Gregoire. He was appointed by Gov. Locke to the Commission on Early Learning and on Accountability Task Force for the Commission of Student Learning. He currently serves on the boards of AAA-Washington, Forterra, Washington Business Week, Identity Clark County and WGU-Washington.

Also speaking at the event is April Gapsch, a 2015 Clark graduate and chair of the Business Medical Office Advisory Committee. Gapsch currently works as a Certified Medical Assistant, AAMA at Peace Health Family Medicine Clinic Southwest. She enrolled at Clark as part of the Worker Retraining Program after being laid off from her position as a dental assistance. While at Clark, she served as a student member on the Business Medical Advisory Committee. She remained on the committee as a community advisor after graduation as a way to give back.

“Being on the advisory committee allows me to make a difference by providing insights that help the program better prepare students to transition into the workforce,” said Gapsch. “This type of involvement and support from the community makes Clark’s programs stronger and ensures students are learning the skills they need to be successful.”

Clark College offers more than 25 professional and technical education programs. Currently, 39% of credit-seeking students enrolled at Clark College are pursuing a career and technical education. In 2014-2015, 80 percent of students who completed a career and technical degree or certificate, or earned 45+ college-level credits prior to leaving, were employed within nine months. 

The Advisory Committee Breakfast will take place from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. in the Gaiser Student Center. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Anyone needing accommodation due to a disability should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at (360) 992-2314 or (360) 991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building room 013, as soon as possible.

About Clark College Advisory Committees

Clark College Advisory Committees help ensure improvement in secondary and postsecondary education and student success through close cooperation between education and local employers.

Advisory committees guide, strengthen and enhance existing professional and technical programs to ensure the quality of program graduates by offering suggestions for improvements that will help the program grow and expand. Appointed by the administration of a college, committee members provide direction and specifications for current professional and technical education programs, and help identify emerging occupations and skills needed. For more information about the college’s advisory committees, visit www.clark.edu/advisory.

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