Dr. Karin Edwards

Dr. Karin Edwards’ 36-year-career at community colleges spans roles from Admissions Counselor to Campus President. Since July 2014, she has served as president of Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus. For the previous 14 years, she was Dean of Student Development and Services at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, Connecticut. Before that, she served for eight years in leadership positions—from Student Development Counselor to Director of College Extension Centers—at Orange County Community College in Middletown, New York. Earlier in her career, she was Higher Education Opportunity Program Counselor at Skidmore College, in Saratoga Springs, New York and Admissions Counselor at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York. 

Dr. Edwards has been actively engaged with the American Association of Community Colleges, attending its Presidents Academy Summer Institute and serving on its Commission on College Readiness and Marketing/Public Relations. Additionally, she has been an active participant in the American Association of Community College Trustees Governance Conference; National Council on Black American Affairs, Western Region Conference; and Creating Inclusive, Socially Just Campus Environments.  

Her community service includes serving on the board of directors of Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives and on the advisory board of the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, as well as being an active member of the Partners in Diversity Leadership Council and the Oregon Presidents Council of the Oregon Community College Association. 

Dr. Edwards earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her master’s degree in Higher Education Administration at State University of New York at Albany; and her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. 

Dr. Sara Thompson Tweedy

Dr. Sara Thompson Tweedy has held leadership positions in the State University of New York system over the past nine years. Currently she is Vice President of Student Access, Involvement and Success at SUNY Westchester Community College in Valhalla. Previously she served as Dean of Student Development Services at SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake. 

Dr. Thompson Tweedy’s service at SUNY includes sitting on the LGBTQI taskforce, enrollment management taskforce, collective bargaining negotiations team, and faculty council. Outside the SUNY system, Dr. Thompson Tweedy is a member of both the New York Association of Community College Chief Student Affairs Officers, Inc. and the Center for Discovery’s Institutional Review Board. Additionally, she serves as a volunteer firefighter and chaplain with the Kerhonkaon Volunteer Fire Department and holds a number of emergency management certifications. Among her accolades are being named the recipient of the New York State Medal of Honor in 2018. 

Prior to her time at SUNY, Dr. Sara Thompson Tweedy’s experience included teaching at Eastern Correctional Facility in Napanoch, New York; serving in the U.S. Army National Guard as a heavy wheel diesel mechanic; and serving as executive director and pastor of The Federated Church of Kerhonkson, a congregation with affiliation to the Reformed Church in America and the United Methodist Church.  

Dr. Thompson Tweedy earned her bachelor’s degree in Religion at Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia; her Master of Divinity at Yale University Divinity School; and her Doctorate of Management in Community College Policy and Administration from University of Maryland, Adelphi. She also received training at Skidmore College as a Restorative Justice facilitator.